Lance Armstrong-riding into the sunset?

Well I called it wrong the other day. I looked into my Magic 8-Ball and asked, "Will Lance attack on stage 13?" The answer was in the affirmative but I guess even Magic 8-Balls have an off day.

Then Armstrong, in what later was described as a planned attack, joined a break that actually stayed away! The (virtual) cheers in the chat room were deafening - people not only wanted, but were literally willing Armstrong to victory. However this is no fairy tale story and the Texan was out sprinted to the line by Frenchman Pierrick Fedrigo (or as I like to say in the Versus chat room, "Random French Dude").

Posted on the Team RadioShack blog Johan Bruyneel said that Armstrong's lack of results these past couple of stages were on purpose.

"Now that he's not in contention for the general classification anymore, you try to save strength." I wonder what Levi thought of that strategy when it was announced on the team bus? I continue to ponder how that plan would have gone over during the halcyon Armstrong days? Probably not well.

In Bruyneel's defense there's really no point in racing the team at the front to defend Leipheimer's seventh place on GC. Sure if you're a first year Tour rider like Nicolas Roche, you fight to stay in the top 15 even if your own teammate flicks you. However a Tour veteran like Leipheimer knows that the gig is up and at this point it's all about stage victories, cutting your GC losses and pushing AAA batteries for the team sponsor like a McDonald employee asking if you'd like to "super size it."

Regardless, Armstrong and Christophe Moreau are waving au revoir to the Tour de France. Depending on how you read or interpret Armstrong's comments (and if his comments become even more elusive Versus may consider getting their own Magic 8-Ball to determine Armstrong's next move) he might be quitting cycling for good. It was thought that he'd continue to race on the road - notably the Tour Down Under and take another stab at the Amgen Tour of California. Of course there was the continuing talk of triathlons and of the Livestrong Foundation, so there's not a shortage of things to pursue. We've all heard this before.

Like I mentioned in a previous post America does have some up and coming talent. In the near future Taylor Phinney has made the not unexpected move to RadioShack. With several strong results in the U-23 field this year it was a no brainer. One young buck who has been racing in the ProTour and delivering the goods is HTC-Columbia's Tejay Van Garden. At the recent Critérium du Dauphiné Van Garden finished third on the general classification. And of course we have a potential Armstrong 2.0 and fellow Texan, Lawson Craddock. This junior racer won every discipline continuing from his streak in nationals at Bend, OR to track nationals in Pennsylvania.

As the sun sets on some great champions, we look to the breaking dawn of new champions racing in the new era of cycling... yet again.