2009, The Year of the Great Cycling Comeback

2009, it seems, is the year of the cycling comeback. From the triumphal return of the King, Lance Armstrong, to Ivan Basso and Floyd Landis trying to rebuild their shattered reputations, it will be the old-timers who capture the headlines early in the season.

Of this trio, Armstrong has the most to lose. A glittering career saw him build a reputation as arguably the greatest professional cyclist ever; it’s difficult to see what is left to motivate him.

Armstrong finished on top of the game; the best he can hope for now is to equal that performance. One suspects, however, that there are bigger issues playing on his mind.

Basso, on the other hand, has to earn the trust and respect of not only cycling fans, but also of his fellow professionals. The stigma of being a drug cheat will be difficult to overcome and every success will be viewed with some suspicion.

But Basso has at least shown contrition and admitted, if not to actual doping, but at least to intending to dope. Given that he was never caught, he probably deserves the benefit of the doubt.

Floyd Landis, on the other hand, was caught red-handed (or should that be blooded?) but has steadfastly clung to his increasingly incredulous claims of innocence. Lanids’ protestations in light of his massively positive result would be laughable if the consequences were not so grave.

Not only did Landis get caught out on the infamous Stage 17 of the 2006 Tour de France, subsequent tests have revealed the presence of synthetic testosterone in four other tests from that race. Still Landis maintains his innocence although, tellingly, his defence was based on procedural issues rather than any attempt to explain away the results.

Whether Basso or Landis will have any real impact this season is unclear, certainly Landis will be under slightly less scrutiny by not being part of the UCI Pro Tour, but after being away from the main game for so long, it’s difficult to imagine that they will have an immediate impact. Whether they should return to racing is perhaps an argument for another day.

Armstrong, however, is a completely different prospect. Having watched him in his return to pro racing at the Tour Down Under it is easy to believe that he has come out of retirement for more than just the urge to compete again. That’s not to say that he’s not serious about racing, quite the contrary, he is such a born competitor that he will never lie down.

Let’s not forget that it is not only the tremendous physical challenge of return to pro cycling, but it also a huge mental hurdle. And it’s not just facing the pain of three weeks in the saddle over the French countryside either. He will again be exposed to all of those who believe that Armstrong could not have achieved what he did by staying clean. It seems everyone loves a fairytale, but nobody really believes them.

More important to him now, however, seems to be his work with the Lance Armstrong Foundation and his drive to increase the profile of cancer and promote more research. During the week long TDU, Armstrong’s activities off the bike got equal, if not greater, coverage in the media. It would take a fairly cynical outlook to not want to credit the man for his efforts there.

On the bike, Armstrong showed glimpses of the rider who won seven consecutive Tours de France, but it is early days yet and it is doubtful that he would want to show his hand this early in the season. There was enough, however, to get the attention of his competitors and the thought of him lining up in the TDF and the Giro d’Italia will have fans dribbling in their soup. We’ll watch with interest.