Breaking News…Lance to Ride Again?

Some are beginning to wonder, does Lance have a chip on his shoulder? It seems rumors are ablaze that Armstrong, the cycling monster, will come out of retirement to return to competitive racing. (What?! Did he and Brett Favre sign a secret "stay-out-of-retirement" pact together? Maybe I should change the blog title to "Lance Armstrong to come out of retirement to sign with Jets", just so I can scoop everyone else.)

VeloNews claims Armstrong will come out of retirement next year to compete in five road races with the Astana team, including the 2009 Tour de France. The rumor, which has been rampant for nearly a month, gained some legs when former Discovery Channel team director Dirk Dernol recently signed with Astana for 2009. Adding fuel to the fire, Johan Bruyneel (Armstrong's former team manager) is also currently Astana's team boss. Not to be overlooked, but even Trek, a favorite of the Lance-camp, is Astana's main bike sponsor. Is the deal finally getting too sweet for Lance to pass up?

But Bruyneel is uncertain whether even Armstrong can return after three years out of professional cycling. “He’s continued training and he’s done marathons, but he’s coming in with a very different style of life to a sportsman,” Bruyneel said. “Three years without competing is a lot.”

The current speculation is that the ex-Tour king might want to return to prove he's drug-free, since Armstrong at least appears willing to submit to drug testing. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency confirmed he is part of its out-of-competition testing pool and would be eligible for elite competition on Feb. 1, 2009. The Amgen Tour of California conveniently begins Feb. 14.

Okay, it's not as if Armstrong hasn't been working out. Other rumors are that Armstrong will continue to pursue mountain bike racing, and may try his hand at cyclocross as well. In August, he finished second in the Leadville Trail 100, a lung-searing 100-mile mountain bike race through the Colorado Rockies (photo at left). He also plans to compete in his third New York City Marathon this November, where he hopes to crush his time of 2:46:43. Co'mon, let's face it...this guy's off-days are typically better than any of the stellar attempts we've made in our dreams.

Still, all the brouhaha begs the obvious questions…will Lance ride again? Could an 8th victory at Tour de France be right around the corner?

As I've admitted before, I am not a Lance-fanatic, though the guy is astoundingly athletic. I suppose I'd miss him [ahem] and his marathon-running prowness. But I will proudly admit one simple fact, one which I'm sure millions around the world are breathlessly anticipating at this very moment...it would be incredible to see him come back for an eighth attempt.

We'll have to wait and see.

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Updated 09/10/2008: It's official...Lance is BACK!
A video announcement can be found on his foundation's web site. With a scheduled announcement set for Sept. 24 in New York, it’s a sure thing the next couple of weeks are going to bring more electric news. And, so, the countdown to the 2009 Tour de France begins...