Lance Journal - Introduction

February 15, 1998 Sevilla, Spain

The life of a cyclist is far from normal. It is similar to boot camp with somewhat of a military existence - eat, ride, eat, shower, massage, rest, eat, sleep. Maybe it's also like the life of an infant since all your needs are met and your purpose is singular.

I had enough tape recorders under my nose today to recite some comments without thought; everyone wants to know if Lance was nervous last night or this morning before the race. I will tell you this with complete honesty. Not really. He was being his usual self this morning. He was so happy to be back into his groove excited, comfortable and inspired by the sheer joy of being able to do it again.

The race start was the usual mass confusion, with cyclists and journalists everywhere, a grandstand surrounded by umbrella tables covered with newspapers and half-empty cokes. Loud Spanish voices and horrible music blared out at the crowd. The crowd went nuts for Lance. I spent the day with Emma O'Reilly, the only female soigneur for the team.

We waited at the feed zone for the guys to come by - we could see them from off in the distance. I admit my heart was pounding when they flew by - I scanned the crowd and was easily able to pick out Lance. He was doing fine. It's exciting to feel the energy as they pass - for a fleeting moment I understood the passion of the fans.

The finish was bedlam all over again, with the parade of motorcycles and cars with flashing lights and sirens - leading the men like pied pipers across the finish and into the awaiting crowd. Then the soigneurs are put to work, wiping sweaty, dusty faces and bodies, administering fluid and handing out bags of fresh clothes. It's strangely anticlimactic. The mad rush to the finish line, the brief stop at the car, and then back on the bikes to complete the pilgrimage to the hotel. Then the cars hustle out to beat the riders back to the hotel so they can unpack, prepare food and massage tables, and clean and repair the bikes. It's an exhausting process, even for a tag-along.

I managed to snag a quick kiss and hello at the finish before the journalists and autograph-seekers descended upon him like seagulls fed at the beach. I have no idea where Lance finished in the pack, somewhere in the middle. It doesn't really matter. Today was pretty flat and easy relative to the next few days. Mostly a day for the riders to get reacquainted with each other, size each other up and buckle down for the long season ahead.

What Lance was looking forward to most of all was to get this first day over with, the first race, the first week, the first month until finally he is not the center of attention, but is a regular member of the peloton. What he does not realize, is that to many of us, he will never be just a regular guy. He is a hero disguised as a regular guy, with all the notice, responsibility and respect that it entails.

My favorite quote was something he said to me afterwards when we were alone. "It's the right thing to do."

Moments come and go - enjoy the good ones. Today was a good one.

When 3 are not enough

The old Northcote velodrome in Melbourne, Victoria, home of the classic - the Austral Wheel Race (100th edition raced on Saturday), is close to receiving funding from the Victorian Government to put a roof on the facility and add a boarded track.

The local club which administers the track including having working bees among its members to keep it going told me that it was their big hope that the Victorian Government will pitch in the necessary funds. There is rivalry among the States in Australia and this could be the club's best bet. WA has the Speed Dome, SA has the Superdrome, and Tasmania has the Silverdome. NSW is about to get the Olympic Track (which will make it 5 if Northcote gets their improvements).

On Saturday night at the Austral the Victorian sports minister said that the government was considering it as part of its deliberations for the up-coming budget.

Like all these facilities in Australia, they are usually connected with a bid to host some major championship. Victoria has its eyes on hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2006 and this will tip the balance in favour of the Government funding. But it doesn't stop there. The major plan seems to be that they will fund the upgrade of Northcote but will also add to the sporting facilities at Melbourne Park (home of the grand slam tennis championship - the Australian Open) - yep, you guessed it - track number 6.

Track 6 will be a top quality 250 metre wooden track. And then Victorians can say "we have one too". Pity that the other tracks struggle to get anything near capacity crowds and also run at losses and are continually funded by taxpayers. But this is Australia and we have to deal with these States.