Lucky 7 For Lance

Yeah, I know. We've been hearing about Lance Armstrong for a long time now. When you hear Tour de France, you can't help but think Lance Armstrong. And he wasn't just a cyclist...he transcended sport and became an icon. But now his cycling career is over. Wearing the maillot jaune (yellow jersey) in Paris one last time...not a bad way to finish.

I'll let the talking heads of the sports world debate whether he's the "greatest athlete of all time" or if he simply rode a bike for a living. On the other hand, no one can deny that he's one of the most dominant athletes in sports history. Winning the most prolific bike race for SEVEN STRAIGHT YEARS is an almost impossible thing to comprehend. The Alps? The Pyreenes? I don't know if I'd want to drive a car up those mountains, never mind trying to ride a bike up those slopes. I mean, 8% grades for 15km? And that's just one stage...and there's 21 stages. Who can blame him for retiring.

Oh yeah, and then there was that whole cancer thing.

So the era of domination by Lance is over. Now he's planning on spending more time with his kids and girlfriend (anyone heard of this Sheryl Crow chick? I guess she's a musician). But that doesn't mean we'll never hear from him again. He will continue working with the Lance Armstrong Foundation working towards a cure for cancer and continuing to support those who battle it. If you're already wearing a "Livestrong" bracelet, don't take it off just because Lance's competetive biking days are over. If you don't have one, go here and buy some.

Congrats Lance on your seventh Tour victory. Thanks for being an inspiration, and not just to those with cancer.

photos courtesy of AP