For you Lance fans....
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Think of Lance Armstrong. Now, pick your favourite memory of the American champion. It's a near impossible proposition. Yet that's exactly the pulse we took from the peloton: From the depths of cancer to his Tour de France throne, what Armstrong memory marvels you most?[/font]
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[font=Arial]We'll go first by going back to 1997 and the Cofidis team presentation ceremony in [/font][font=Arial]Paris[/font][font=Arial]. It was after Armstrong's diagnosis with cancer, but before the French team reneged on its contract with the Texan. Cofidis, in so many words, stamped Armstrong as "damaged goods."[/font]
[font=Arial]And though Cofidis' business decision was a fraught one -- handled diplomatically according to some, scandalously to others -- on the surface it made sense.[/font]
[font=Arial]With cancer leeching onto his lungs and brain, Lance Armstrong wasn't expected to live -- let alone ride a bike.[/font]
[font=Arial]But looking at Lance at that 1997 Cofidis team presentation ceremony, there was an indescribable vibe in his eyes. Indescribable because the man -- according to all medical and media reports -- was on death's door. A Cofidis cap was pulled tight over his chemotherapy-scalded head and his skin was the color of sullen snow.[/font]
[font=Arial]But his eyes were bright, almost vicious. In them was a gaze of stubborn determination, the same heat-seeking stare Armstrong now zones into as he trounces the competition on the toughest of Tour de France climbs.[/font]
[font=Arial]Looking into those eyes, it was possible to look beyond the abysmal odds offered by Armstrong's doctors.[/font]
[font=Arial]His life was not over.[/font]
[font=Arial]Indeed, it was just beginning.[/font]
[font=Arial]MEMORY LANE[/font][font=Arial][/font]
[font=Arial]Stuart O'Grady (Cofidis)[/font][font=Arial][/font]
[font=Arial]"I guess my best Lance memory is from 2001 when I had the yellow jersey myself. We hit the mountains and I was like, "Hey, Lance, you can have the jersey back now. Good luck!" He turned to me and said something like, "I'm gonna kill these guys!" He showed so much confidence. He was amazing. His confidence level every day is just Lance's most amazing aspect."[/font]
[font=Arial]Didier Rous (Bouygues Telecom)[/font][font=Arial][/font]
[font=Arial]"What impressed me the most was Armstrong's performance at the finish in Luz Ardiden [at the 2003 Tour de France]. He falls a first time, he comes back, and then his foot slides off the pedal... And then he attacks. He had this rage, this aggressiveness that you could read in his eyes. That climb showed perfectly who Armstrong is; his will, his huge mental strength. [/font]
[font=Arial]Jean-René Bernaudeau (Bouygues team director)[/font][font=Arial][/font]
[font=Arial]"Armstrong has marked his time in the pack in an American way. He has charisma. He's a star of [/font][font=Arial]Hollywood[/font][font=Arial] proportions, maybe the first of that calibre in this sport. We have to pay tribute to him for putting our sport on an international level. He's brought rock stars to our sport. I don't mind seeing Ben Harper on the Tour de France."[/font]
[font=Arial]Oscar Sevilla (T-Mobile)[/font][font=Arial][/font]
[font=Arial]"Lance Armstrong impressed me on a number of occasions with his mental strength and his way of leading and motivating his team-mates. I remember a few tough climbs where he was encouraging his team-mates by telling them: "You're the best, the strongest!" When you're giving your all for your leader, psychologically, that's very important." [/font]
[font=Arial]Jose Azevedo (Discovery Channel)[/font][font=Arial][/font]
[font=Arial]"The memory I retain most about Lance Armstrong is that he's a champion with humility. He knows how much the team works for him. After every stage, after every Tour, he never forgets to say, 'Thank you.'[/font]
[font=Arial]Hein Verbruggen (President, UCI)[/font][font=Arial][/font]
[font=Arial]"I retain three memories of Armstrong: I saw him become world champion in [/font][font=Arial]Oslo[/font][font=Arial]. I saw him in a hospital bed. And I saw him become a six-time Tour de France winner. I've always had rather tense links with Lance Armstrong, but I have nothing but respect for his comeback. He knew what it was like to be at the top by being world champion. Then he hit bottom because his life was in danger. And then to climb to the top again... Each time I see him, I think of the miracle of that comeback." [/font]
[font=Arial]George Hincapie (Discovery Channel)[/font][font=Arial][/font]
[font=Arial]"Probably in 2003 when he crashed and then won the stage to Luz-Ardiden. Lance and I were talking a lot before the race because he was beaten in the time-trial. He wasn't feeling so good. We shared a lot of dark moments. When I came across the finish line on the Luz-Ardiden stage, Lance saw me. He was on the podium. I finished maybe 30 minutes behind him. He was pointing to me from the podium and I have this picture, which he signed with, "Much love, Lance." It's a picture I will never forget and probably my favourite memory."[/font]
[font=Arial]Alain Gallopin (CSC team director)[/font][font=Arial][/font]
[font=Arial]"I remember Armstrong's face on the climb to the Plateau de Bonascre in 2003 -- the day Jan Ullrich should have won the Tour. Armstrong dug very, very deep inside of himself that day. He found his very last resources of energy. Only a great champion is able to survive after a day like that. When I saw Armstrong's face, I told to myself "F***" -- sorry for the bad word -- "Why didn't Jan attack there?" He had a real chance to seize the stage and the overall race. The pain on Armstrong's face was enormous. I'm sure Armstrong -- and Ullrich -- think often of that moment." [/font]
[font=Arial]Christophe Moreau (Credit Agricole)[/font][font=Arial][/font]
[font=Arial]"Most of all, I'll remember Armstrong's pugnacity; his desire, his will and his determination he's proved over and over again since he came back from his disease. To return to the top is one thing, but to become the best rider of the Tour for six consecutive years and overtake giants like Anquetil, Hinault and Merckx... It's inspiring."[/font]
[font=Arial]Johan Bruyneel (Discovery Channel team director)[/font][font=Arial][/font]
[font=Arial]"This is something we often talk and joke about, but it's a memory I will keep forever. When I was still a rider, in the 1995 Tour, I won the stage to Liège. I was in a breakaway with Lance. I had attacked from a breakaway and Lance followed me. Then he couldn't keep the pace. I dropped him. It's something we often remind of. I tell him, "Hey, do you remember in 1995 when couldn't hold my wheel?" It was ironic. I had the honour of dropping the record man of Tour de France wins. That's an exceptional memory!" [/font]