Back in the saddle again… and for once I’m not talking about Lance Armstrong’s love life. Rather, the man many considered the “King of Fitness,” is straddling his bike again on the road to what he hopes will be his eighth Tour de France title.
The 36-year-old cancer survivor announced today that he plans to come out of retirement to cycle professionally.
“I am happy to announce that after talking with my children, my family and my closest friends, I have decided to return to professional cycling in order to raise awareness of the global cancer burden,” Armstrong said in a statement released to reporters today.
Armstrong retired after his 2005 Tour de France victory, saying he wanted to devote more time to raising money for cancer research and reaching out to cancer patients. Since retiring from cycling Armstrong has lobbied for cancer treatment funding in Washington, D.C., co-hosted televised cancer forums with presidential candidates and was instrumental in 2007 persuading the Texas Legislature to approval a $3 billion fund for cancer research.
Despite his hectic schedule to promote cancer awareness Armstrong maintained a rigorous fitness routine. The cycling champ traded two wheels for two feet and hit the ground running. Armstrong completed marathons in New York and Boston and plans to run the Chicago Marathon next month.
Not bad for a guy who was told by doctors in 1996 that he had less than a 50% chance of seeing the age of 30. Armstrong will celebrate his 37th birthday next week, but he says the surgeries and brutal rounds of chemotherapy that helped save his life after his testicular cancer spread to his lungs and brain are never far from his thoughts.
As for why Armstrong would willingly choose to punish his body by competing on the pro cycling tour again, the handsome heartbreaker says he was inspired to return after finishing second last month in the Leadville 100, a physically grueling and emotionally draining 100-mile mountain bike race through the Colorado Rockies.
Armstrong also noted that this year’s Olympians also fueled his desire to return to the sport, specifically older athletes such as 41-year-old multi-medalist swimmer Dara Torres and 38-year-old Olympic women’s marathon champion Constantina Tomescu-Dita, of Romania.
For the record only one rider older than 34 has ever won the Tour de France– 36-year-old Firmin Lambot rode away with the yellow jersey back in 1922.
What do you make of Armstrong’s proposed comeback?
My take: If Michael Jordan and Brett Favre can do it why not Armstrong?