Lance Armstrong, His Bike, and the Tour de France

Somebody in the little local store today had on a T-shirt that said something like, "Support Lance Armstrong, a true American patriot", which I suppose refers to his current competition in the Tour de France.

Exactly what makes Armstrong a great American or patriot? Riding his bike? And must we really get hop-up-and-down excited about his sixth entry? It's a bike ride, for cryin' out loud. I hope someone else wins it for a change. Lance has to be a very wealthy man from all this product endorsements (Big Pharma is GOOD!) and it would be nice to see another athlete (well, if bowlers and golfers can be athletes, I suppose Lance can be one, too) get a shot at making his or her dreams come true. Lance isn't the only person in the world who's ever overcome an obstacle to win, and many folks do it with far less pomp and profit.

So, if you'll excuse me, I'll keep the pom-poms in storage.