Lance’s Grand Finale
July 25, 2005 - The Star-Ledger - PAGE ONE
PARIS—Just as the group of cyclists was about to whiz past an elderly French woman, who confessed to never having witnessed a Tour de France, she turned, grinned and said, “There’s an electric current in the air!”
Yesterday, Lance Armstrong coasted into Paris with his unprecedented seventh consecutive Tour de France victory and moved perhaps untouchably deep into the record books. He also further cemented the Tour’s place in the hearts of spectators in France and around the world.
“Vive le Tour! Forever,” the 33-year-old Armstrong said from the winner’s podium after “The Star-Spangled Banner” was played in his honor.
The victory marked the end of a remarkable career for Armstrong, who is retiring from the sport.
He said his decision was final and that he walks away with no regrets. As for his accomplishments, he said, “I can’t be in charge of dictating what it says or how you remember it.
“In five, 10, 15, 20 years, we’ll see what the legacy is. But I think we did come along and revolutionize the cycling part, the training part, the equipment part. We’re fanatics.”
Armstrong’s victory was all but assured once he held onto the yellow jersey through last week’s stretch in the Pyrenees. Yet on Saturday, he blistered the pavement, cobblestones and his competitors in the 55.5-kilometer (34.5-mile) St-Etienne time trial, making yesterday’s champagne-toast ride that much easier.
“I didn’t think he would make it for so long, but he’s truly a cut above,” Jean-Jacques Cavalon said Saturday at his quaint bed and breakfast in the countryside town of Chaumont en Vexin. “Greg LeMond was a bit of a precursor, but Armstrong just keeps going and going.”
Armstrong kept going for so long, in fact, that the media did not know what to do with him for the last few years. Six straight years of the same result nearly forced them to wonder how many times they could rewrite the same story.
They began to look for new angles; single-stage winners took on more importance as did sprinters and climbers, and any Frenchman who did vaguely well in a stage became a hero for a day.
When Armstrong crossed the finish line on the Tour’s last day in 2004, it was a bit of a non-story.
Not this year.
Though jealous competitors in previous years may have uttered the phrase tongue-in-cheek, 2005 was indeed “Le Tour de Lance.”
Despite a soupy gray afternoon yesterday in Paris, there was a tingle in the air long before the riders left Corbeil-Essonnes on a 144.5-kilometer (89.8-mile) ride toward the finish line on the Champs-Elysées.
Already a diverse city, Paris was converted into a melting pot of flag-wearing race fans from around the world.
Anita Bekenstein and her “family of cyclists” were among the thousands festooned in yellow clothes and Livestrong gear. A Florham Park, N.J., native who now lives with her family in Massachusetts, Bekenstein explained why she and her family came to cheer the man the French call “Le Texan.”
“The kids are huge Lance fans and they have watched every day of the Tour for the last three or four years,” she said. “He’s a great role model for courage and discipline, and exemplifies everything that’s good in life.”
Bekenstein isn’t underestimating Armstrong’s influence. When they get home, she and three other family members are training to ride 200 miles in the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge, a cancer fund-raiser that crisscrosses the Bay State. Armstrong is a cancer survivor.
“I want to see Lance on his last Tour,” said New Yorker Cari Siegac, who is planning to do the same ride as the Bekensteins. Though she was only here for the weekend, she had no trouble staving off jet lag. “Anyone could stay up for this.”
Marching to their favorite spot on the Champs-Elysées with folding chairs they brought all the way from their home in Washington, D.C., husband and wife Ken Cook and Deb Callahan also had little trouble staying awake. Avid cyclists themselves, they have been coming to watch the Tour for the last four years.
“If you’re a cyclist, you understand how crazy it is what these guys do,” Callahan said. “Lance has brought Americans into the sport, and the question now is what people will do once he’s gone.”
French father and son Claude and Yannick Berna and their family were among the tens of thousands who arrived on the Champs-Elysées hours in advance to watch the riders finish.
“It’s like the World Cup and the Olympics in terms of favorite sporting events for the French,” Yannick said. “It’s tops.
“We don’t have anyone capable of winning anymore in France, but there’s always the same amount of fans whether the leader is French or American,” Claude said.
“The biggest test in cycling has always been the Tour de France and it’s always been that way,” he said. “My father also brought me along to watch with him, and now I’m delighted that my son asked me to come to Paris and watch with him.
“Next year, Lance won’t be here and we’ll still come,” Claude said. “This is an institution.”
Further down on the Rue de Rivoli, a hush fell over the crowd and someone yelled, “They’re coming!”
There was a hum of motorcycles, helicopters and other support vehicles that banged off the Parisian buildings with a noise similar to a military parade.
As if on cue, the sun broke through the clouds and drizzle. Arms with cameras went into the air in readiness and the front row of spectators leaned out over the barricade.
The mechanical noise of the whizzing gears hit peoples’ ears and the little old lady’s electric current of excitement rushed through everyone.
The crowd went bonkers for the leaders, threw in a special cheer (the loudest) for Armstrong, then applauded every last rider. All of the action seems to pass by in the blink of an eye.
And it’s worth it.
Rendez-vous in a year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Joe Ray is a freelance writer based in Paris. He may be reached at joe-ray.com.
© 2005 The Star Ledger
© 2005 NJ.com All Rights Reserved.