I heard Lance say on Larry King the other night that he was a bit remorseful because “I’ll never be in this good of shape again.” Well, that’s sad all right but not because he’s quitting racing.
What kind of shape has he ever been in for garden-hoeing, kitchen-work, XC skiing, seakayaking, thai-kickboxing, javelin-throwing, longbow shooting, ax-chopping, timber-frame house-building, yoga or esoteric studies?
In a month or so he could get into far better shape than he’s ever been in for any or all of those activities. And he could get into better KINDS of shape—there’s more kinds of fitness than the narrow attack-dog, listen-to-your coach-yell-in-your-earpiece go-hard-or-go-harder kind of fitness he’s had lately.
Really, Lance has only been in world-class shape for one restricted thing, road-bike racing.
He’s actually been weak and ill-equipped to do basically all those other activities as well as to do things in other ways and for different reasons.
There’s a big new world out there waiting for him, at least as good as bike racing, and easily healthier and so offering better general “shape.”
