How will Lance Armstrong fare in Tour de France?

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Considering he’s still recovering from a broken collarbone he suffered during a crash in Spain back in March, we shouldn’t be too harsh on Lance Armstrong for struggling today on Stage 5 of the grueling Giro d’Italia. After all, the seven-time Tour de France winner has done pretty well for a guy who decided to return to competitive cycling following a three-year absence from the sport.

But today’s performance illustrated the challenge Armstrong faces in attempting to win the Tour de France for an unprecedented eighth time. The injury, combined with his 37-year-old body, is going to make it incredibly difficult for him to win again, let alone having to compete on the same team with Tour hotshots Alberto Contador and Levi Leipheimer. He also has to deal with guys such as Denis Menchov, the winner of today’s stage in the Italian Alps.

So...

-- Austin Knoblauch