Back in Black...and Yellow

The black and yellow “Livestrong” jersey will be taking to the road in pursuit of more than cancer awareness. Lance Armstrong will be returning to competitive cycling again for the 2009, looking to win yet another Tour de France. While critics and supporters alike question whether his comeback is a good idea, Armstrong had already succeeded. In the same way that college football succeeds in drawing excessive attention by using the RNG (random number generator) rankings to select a supposed champion, Armstrong’s announcement that he will return to the Tour will generate a more than proportional response about cycling and this year’s event.

Does Armstrong have anything left to prove to cement his place in sports history? He’s arguable the greatest cycling champion ever – even the guy who bike is in storage until gas hits $10 a gallon can tell you he won seven titles. Few red-blooded American sports fans will take notice of someone riding a bike, but throw in the element of proving American dominance over Europe and you’ve got yourself a hero. His seven titles are more than the all riders of any other country save France, Belgium, Spain, and Italy. If it wasn’t for Armstrong, American riders would have fewer titles then those of Luxembourg! He has less to prove to the world than Usain Bolt did in the last 20 meters of 100 meter dash this summer.

Armstrong’s return to cycling in his black and yellow Livestrong kit has already created a buzz that has resonated with a different audience than the echoes from a thousand fundraising dinners could ever reach. No die-hard SEC football fan or Big East basketball guru will end up at the Tour de France’s website, much less a cancer website of a rider. But Armstrong transcends cycling, and just maybe some of those fans will be intrigued enough to read about a former champion coming out of retirement. After all, who doesn’t like a good comeback story?

Equally important is that no responsible journalist could splash a hooded Armstrong, shrouded in mystery, across a major sports website without mentioning his foundation. No comeback story is complete for a sports fan without what drives the athlete back to competition. In the same way that sports fans read Mark Cuban’s blog to find out what goes in his head, they will surf to livestrong.org to find out what Lance does when he’s not on the bike. Who doesn’t want to fight cancer? Especially when its as easy as clicking a facebook group. Very few college kids are interested in writing a big check for cancer research, but a facebook group speaks their language.

The number of fans watching to see Lance win his sixth title and the number of cynics circling like vultures waiting for Armstrong’s failure will breathe new life into a race that for the past few years has been irrelevant save its scandals. Sure, baseball has suffered from the Roger Clemenses and football from the Michael Vicks, but they also have the Josh Hamiltons and Matt Ryans to save them. If Armstrong races clean and succeeds, he could be the messiah figure cycling needs, not to thrive, but just to survive. Armstrong’s revival of cycling probably will last about as long as Michael Phelps’ popularization of swimming, but he can reach a whole new generation for cancer awareness.

I wish Armstrong the best in the actual race, but his winning or losing the Tour won’t matter nearly as much as the conversation he generates leading up to the race. Heck, it might be better if he is competitive, but doesn’t win it all to keep people questioning whether he’ll return in 2010. The more talk the better for Armstrong, cycling, and cancer research. As long as he doesn’t test positive, he’s already won the PR battle. And compared to cancer and the media, the Tour looks like a cakewalk.