No Lance, No Problem

Yes, we miss Lance Armstrong. The inspirational Texan blew the doors off the cycling world, winning a record 7 straight Tour De France titles. What makes his accomplishments even greater is the fact he did so after overcoming testicular cancer. He gave American, non-cycling fans a reason to be fans of cycling. In his absence, it seems there's no reason to watch the Tour De France this year, right?

Think again.

Meet Floyd Landis. The American is in constant pain due to an injured hip he says will need to be replaced after the Tour. Nevertheless, he's currently in second place!

Let me say that again. He needs a new HIP!

Daniel Coyle of The New York Times wrote a great article on Landis, entitled What Floyd Landis Has Been Pedaling.

He talks about how Landis fractured the hip in a crash in 2003. As a result, Landis suffers from a degenerative condition caused by a lack of blood supply. Other patients who suffer from this situation describe the pain as "grinding your bare feet into hot broken glass and jagged shards of metal." Are you kidding me?

OUCH!

I laughed out loud when he said "Landis possesses a high pain tolerance." You think?!

This guy shouldn't be standing, much less competing in the Tour De France. Yet here he is, just one minute behind leader Serhiy Honchar of the Ukraine after 8 stages.

Let's rally behind one of Armstrong's former teammates, and embrace Floyd Landis as our reason to watch Le Tour!