The Tour de France begins tomorrow and it will not surprise long-time readers that my main concern is that Lance Armstrong does not win it again. Like any sensible enthusiast I recognise Armstrong’s greatness even if, as detailed here and here, I think that the Case for Armstrong is frequently overstated. Fairly or not, I’ve never warmed to him. This has nothing to do with him being an American since, if that were the case, it would be odd for me to admire* Greg LeMond so much. But I do admire LeMond hugely and, at the risk of being mischievous, wonder how he and Armstrong’s records would compare if it was LeMond who had survived cancer and Armstrong who had overcome being shot.
But that’s not really the point of this post. Some commenters have made the point that it’s unreasonable to compare eras and that modern-day cyclists are simply vastly better than their predecessors in the peloton.
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