Opinion: AWH SHIT NO LANCE, BITCH YOU CRAZY!!!!

Taking a small break from the Burningman coverage, I thought I'd share my opinion on the following:

I just read this Velonews article about how Lance might be coming out of retirement for 2009. I just want to know -- WHAT THE FUCK IS HE THINKING???? If this is for real, Lance is a fool. He beat cancer, dominated the sport like none other, never got caught for doping, and was one of the few legends in all of sport who retired while he was on top instead of fading into mediocrity.

He can't possibly get any greater; he can only do his reputation harm.

Let's say Lance comes out of retirement and wins the Tour de France again -- hell let's say he wins the Tour de France 7 more times -- would his overall big-picture greatness level change at all? NO!! In 30 years, people will look at him exactly the same way: a total legend, on par with perhaps 4 or 5 other athletes in the history of sport.

So what's the deal Lance? We all know you could probably win the Tour again, but shit man -- what happens if lady luck decides to dance with someone else next time? Imagine how it would feel to drop out of the Tour on stage 13 with a broken collar-bone. Or what happens if -- god forbid -- someone "contaminates your food" -- or hell even if one of your teammates gets busted for doping and your team gets asked to leave? Think of the "guilty by association" bullshit you've already had to deal with and multiply that by 1,000. Or what if you get there and realize that since you left, the bar has been raised a little, and you've gotten a little older, and you just don't have "it" like you used to? Do you really want to come out or retirement and finish 6th in the Tour?

Now, considering the extremely dire situation the domestic peloton is facing for next year (what with Toyota-United, Healthnet Maxis, Symmetrics, and Jittery Joes all either folding or downgrading to armature status), I certainly wouldn't mind the increased attention and sponsorship dollars Lance would bring to the sport. So Lance, if you're simply doing this to help build the sport of cycling, then great! Power to you! Welcome Lance! I'd love to take a crack at ya! Me and every single other cyclist on the road! Sign me up!

Honestly though, I hope this is all hype. I hope Lance keeps dating actresses and musicians, and running marathons, and that Lance's reputation stays right where it is.