Guts And Glory

Much like the Green Jacket in golf and the Australian Baggy Green in cricket,the Yellow Jersey in cycling has come to acquire mythical proportions. Worn bythe leader of the Tour de France through the race and presented to the winner ofthis gruelling trek on the saddle, the Yellow Jersey is the most coveted prizein the sport of cycling. Woven by the threads of sporting history andachievement, these pieces of golden fleece radiate dramatic stories of cyclistsconquering all manner of obstacles to win this great (sometimes strange) bikerace.

Given the overriding historical, sporting and human overtones attached to theTour, it’s only fitting that, in its centenary year, it is Lance Armstrong --a cancer survivor and a reformed man -- who is draped in screaming yellow atChamp Elysses in Paris. It’s his fifth consecutive Tour win, equalling MiguelIndurain of Spain.

It’s also fitting that this year’s Tour will go down in sporting lore asone of the most memorable ever, with so much happening to, and around, theleading bunch. Right through the three weeks and the 3,000-odd kilometres, theleading cyclists created, or fell victim to, moments that were fleeting in thecontext of the overall duration of the Tour, but were powerful reminders of whythe Tour is such a challenge and so special.

History will remember CSC rider Tyler Hamilton’s courage in soldiering ondespite breaking his collarbone in a high-speed pile-up on the very first day.The injury forced this slight American rider to sleep on his back instead of hispreferred side position and use his left hand to exchange greetings. But, thosewere the least of his worries. The injury restricted his mobility on thehandlebar, to which he had to add six layers of extra padding so that he wouldhave to work his arms and shoulders less. Yet, not only did Hamilton ride allthe way to Paris, he did it with resolve and stayed competitive, finishingfourth overall, winning a mountain stage after holding on to a dare-devil 140 kmsolo breakaway and helping CSC finish first in the team standings.

History will remember Jan Ullrich’s grace and nobility. When Armstrong (andIban Mayo) took an unlucky tumble on an especially painful climb through thePyrenees, Ulrich didn’t take advantage of his opponent’s momentary handicapand make an attack to the finishing line. He waited for Armstrong to catch up,probably replaying a similar moment in a similar chase two years ago, when theGerman ended up in a ditch and the American waited for him before resumingracing.

It’s another one of those unwritten codes in the Tour that a race is won orlost on the road, not off it -- and Ulrich honoured it. Armstrong, recountingthe 2001 incident, would later say: "Jan is a good guy, he's an honourableguy. He probably didn't forget that when he crashed in 2001, I told everyone:'We can't race until he gets back up.' As we say in English: 'What goes aroundcomes around,' and so I appreciate him doing that."

History will remember Joseba Beloki’s cruel shunt from the race. One of thefavourites and looking extremely strong, Beloki was setting a punishing pace insearing heat for Armstrong on a high-speed descent through the Alps, when hiswheels caught a piece of melted tar, simply folded up, and consumed him. As helay on the side of the road, anguish writ large on his face, one wondered whathurt Beloki more: the pain from a broken hip and shoulder, or the knowledge thathis dream of winning the one race that he, as other cyclists, had waited for allyear long was over.

Armstrong did realise his dream, with an efficient ‘drive for five’. TheAmerican from Austin, Texas, wasn’t half as dominating as his previous fourrace wins, but when it mattered, he invariably had a gear or two in reserve,which he used with punishing effect. After the first of the two trips into themountains, Armstrong held only a slender lead of some seconds over his rivals,which slammed some critics into saying that he had been finally caught.

So towering -- and occasionally absurd -- are the benchmarks reserved for thebest that Tiger Woods is said to be "in a slump" because he hasn’twon a major this year; as if, his 4 wins in 11 tournaments for the year countsfor nothing. Likewise, till that dramatic adrenaline-fused surge on Luz-Ardiden,Armstrong’s slender lead was considered as proof of his fallibility, not arider digging deep to hold off a pack snipping at his wheels. Much as the mindwonders how the race would have unfolded had Hamilton and Beloki not crashed, italso marvels at the greatness of Armstrong.

It’s hard to win a Tour. It’s harder to win five on the trot. It’s evenharder to win after being stricken by a debilitating medical condition thatgives you a 40 per cent chance of staying alive. Apparently, not if you areArmstrong, who constantly reminds himself and whoever wants to listen thatsurviving testicular cancer was the best thing to happen to him -- he gotanother perspective on life and death, which changed him, as a cyclist and as ahuman being.

He wrote a book about it with Sally Jenkins (It’s Not About the Bike: MyJourney Back To Life) and another (Every Second Counts) is due in October (achapter from the book can be read on his website, www.lancearmstrong.com).The writings mirror the man and all that be believes in and stands for, and puta positive, inspiring spin on battling adversity and suffering: "Before Iwas diagnosed, I was a slacker. I was getting paid a lot of money for a job Ididn’t do 100 per cent, and that was more than just a shame -- it was wrong.When I got sick, I told myself: if I get another chance, I’ll do this right --and I’ll work for something more than just myself."

In his ‘second life’, Armstrong got it right -- in more ways than hemight have imagined. The five Tour wins aside, he’s been singularlyresponsible for initiating a whole legion of cycling fans around the globe andpropelling the sport forward. He’s a beacon of hope for thousands of peoplediagnosed with cancer in the US, probably other countries too, for whom survivalis a daily endeavour. He uses public forums to talk about cancer and overcomingodds -- knowledgeably and humanely. Survivorship is the core theme of his LanceArmstrong Foundation, which helps people in various ways to deal with cancer andits after-effects.

Armstrong’s popularity in his own country stems more from being a cancersurvivor who has become an over-achiever in his calling, less from being thebest road cyclist in the world. In the US, cycling remains a fringe sport. Amajority of Americans don’t appreciate the nuances of the sport -- the sheerarduousness of the task, plus the tactics and the strategies. Sportswritersthere constantly resort to analogies from other, more popular sports to explainthe enormity of Armstrong’s achievements. In fact, on the day of Armstrong’srecord-equalling win, the lead story on the Sports Illustrated websitewas baseball.

Some of this apathy is understandable, for cycling is a unique sport and theTour de France a unique event. The very act of cycling is repetitive in nature,and therein lies its dullness as well as appeal. The disinterested see a machineat work, the interested see a rider who has just pedalled 200 kms over fivehours and yet is pumping hard on his bike.

The Tour itself is a bike race, but most riders are content to pedal alongbunched together for long stretches, giving little impression that they areracing each other in a competition. Racing happens in bursts, usually at the endof a stage. Then, every stage sees a different set of riders attacking, with theleaders holding back till the mountain stages, where the race usually getsdecided. There’s also the big influence of the team. Contrary to what it mightseem, cycling is very much a team sport.

Armstrong, like other cyclists, would never win the Tour without his supportcast of eight riders, who are appropriately referred to as domestiques (Frenchfor ‘domestic’). The other eight riders in the US Postal Service team, whichis referred to as the ‘Blue Train’ or ‘Lancemobile’, all ride with asingular objective: to see Armstrong wearing Yellow. It means protectingArmstrong from ugly crashes in the peleton (the main bunch of riders) andfrom the wind by escorting him in their slipstream as far as possible; thiseffectively means that Armstrong will expend around 30 per cent less energy toride the same distance. It means using their energy so early on in the race thatthe latter stages become an even bigger race of attrition. It means working likea mule and stifling all personal ambitions. It means doing a lot of dirty workfor Armstrong, but seeing him corner the glory. Of course, if Armstrong wins,they win.

Apart from being one of the most eventful Tours, it was also one of theclosest. Said Armstrong: "It's definitely been the most stressfulconsidering my physical and mental fatigue. This year it's all been multipliedby a factor of 10." This Tour showed he’s got worthy in Ullrich, Beloki,Vinuokourov and Hamilton, each one capable of winning and probably itching foranother shot at him.

Armstrong intends to come back next year, in pursuit of a sixth Tour. It’sset up beautifully. Armstrong thrives on being the marked man, and there aremany who are in search of redemption, and will have him and the coveted YellowJersey in their sights.