7

It is hard for me to say why Lance Armstrong is the first athlete whose career I have really cared about. It is at least partly because he is so phenomenally gifted, able to do things others simply can't. It's also at least in part because that gift alone was not enough to make him great, and he figured that out and worked with others to create an incredible legacy. The cancer story, his incredible will and the phenomenal example he set, is a big part of it. And now this story of his dominance of the Tour de France, a record that won't be matched any time soon, if ever.

And he had to go out wondering just a little bit if he'd made the right decision. His form this year, after some real questions in the early spring, was incredible. No one could touch him. It wasn't for lack of trying. And once again, he won because he put together a great team . . . but when it came down to the line, Lance was the guy who pulled it off. We've been following him for years. My younger one really absorbed his cancer story, and used it for comfort when a family member was diagnosed (and survived). I take the admonition to "live strong" seriously. I came to athletics late in life, and it has made an incredible difference in how I feel every day, how I feel about myself, how I feel about life.

So one last cheer for Lance.