A day for 'Old Farts'

So said Andrew Hood on Velonews, "Armstrong settled into third place at 5:24 back, a remarkable achievement following his three-year retirement."

Remarkable, c'mon Andrew, give the man his due! I just finished a second stage 14 mile TT surrounded by a lot of other 'old farts' - older doesn't mean dead, in fact I would say mental toughness builds and experience and stamina kick in. We need more 'old farts' out here!

Andrew went on to say, "At 37, Armstrong is one of the oldest podium finishers ever. His experience and race savvy proved decisive throughout the race, most evident in key moments when he snuck into the front group when the pack split in stage 3 to Le Grande Motte" And maybe this is one of the most overlooked qualities of LA and age, we get smarter. I firmly believe LA is THE smartest cyclist ever to compete in the Tour. One only has to replay a handful of DVDs to get the message loud in clear. It started in 1999 on the Passage du Goisand has continued on in every Tour since. My personal favorite was a sprint up the right side out of the peloton to cross badly angled railroad track in a week one stage in 2004 (I think). With space LA took them at his own angle - their was a small crash in the peloton - insignificant?

"With new sponsor RadioShack, Armstrong promises to be back next year even stronger." says Hood. Hell, he'll be older, and 'older fart' so why not, more stamina, experience and toughness.

“I will race next year with my team and I think I will be even stronger,” Armstrong said. “We will have a strong team. I am already looking forward to next year.”

Wer'e still waiting for morning TT times and results, but regardless I'm really happy the way a bunch of old rafts have ridden the roads of Bend the past two days. Not all of America has 'round things out' into a state of obesity. "At 37, Armstrong is one of the oldest podium finishers ever." Bring on the crit this afternoon - the old farts are clip'n in and ready :"))