Taking the 5th
7/29/03
If the Tour de France is not the most grueling, challenging, death
defying athletic competition anywhere, then I don’t know what is.
Competing and finishing alone looks brutal enough, winning it is a
completely different story. But, winning 5 in a row? Are you kidding me?
I guess if Lance Armstrong can defeat a deadly form of testicular
cancer, taking on some testy foreigners in the mountains of France that
make no bones about disliking Americans, is just another day at work for
him. Make that a month at work. This event is not only physically
demanding, it’s a month-long competition that has been known to make
even the most accomplished athletes, crack.
This was to be the year Lance Armstrong was vulnerable. A few months
ago, he and his wife separated, and the Texas native took it hard. To
prepare for the Tour de France, mental toughness is as important as
physical prowess, so certainly this would take it’s toll.
But a couple weeks before the race, Armstrong developed acute tendonitis
in both hips, a painful malady if you’re just sitting around, much less
waging war against other world-class athletes.
Then, the night before the race actually began, Lance Armstrong
contracted an intestinal virus, so when he lined up on day one, he was
actually quite sick to his stomach.
Perhaps these challenges collectively worked to move Armstrong closer to
the rest of the pack, but the rest of the pack still couldn’t answer. In
past years, he’d won this event by as much as a 7 minute margin, but
this year his lead could be measured in mere seconds.
In the end he prevailed again, crossing the finish line #1 last Sunday,
accomplishing the unthinkable… 5 straight Tour de France championships.
Ironically, Lance Armstrong surmised, that while undergoing chemotherapy
a few years back, his body rested for months, and as such, believes he
has the capacity to enter one more time, going for an unprecedented 6th
title.
“You only have so many races in you,” Armstrong noted. Ironically Lance
Armstrong viewed cancer as a blessing, believing the time he needed to
rest during his treatment will allow him the ability to race one last
time, in 2004.
But when it comes to winning races, Lance Armstrong never rests.
(c) 2003 Novi
Information Network
www.novi.org
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Bernie Fratto is a freelance writer, radio personality, and
motivational speaker. His passion for sports comes in part from
his experience as a former Cincinnati Red farm- hand. "Behind
every sports story lies the hearts and minds of real human beings"
said Fratto. "These athletic endeavors often serve as a
metaphor for the game we call life."
Bernie is also the voice of Novi Wildcat Hockey
and host of Wildcat Face-off, a local
radio program dedicated to youth sports in Novi.
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