Planet Lance

Lance Armstrong is 33 years old, has won the Tour de France an unprecedented six times in a row, makes over $20 million annually, is dating Sheryl Crow...and is the world's most obsessed and competitive athlete. His story is mythological. Cocky athlete gets cancer, beats it, and comes back to win the world's toughest race six straight times.

As the Tour begins this Saturday, I wanted to take a moment to chat about some pertinent Lance Armstrong facts...that may, or  may not, have any relevance for the rest of us, e.g. financial advisors who have to go out every day and sell stuff.

1. His best friend says that Lance Armstrong is the "ultimate alpha wolf", a fearsomely competitive person on, and off, the bike. He doesn't just want to win, he needs to win.
2. He is an obsessive control-freak. Recently he added a news-alert service to his BlackBerry, that beeped whenever it located a news article with his name on it. During a recent interview with a reporter, he peeked at the new item after every beep.
3. Much more than his rivals, Lance Armstrong pays attention to every detail...and uses this obsession to wave in front of his opponent's faces. For example, he is noted for re-conning all of the difficult mountain stages of the Tour. During the winter months, while his competitors are resting comfortably at home, Lance will take a training ride up some incredibly grueling Alpine pass. At the summit, he has been known to whip out his cell phone and call his rivals to ask, "Guess where I am?"
4. In a recent article in the Journal of Applied Physiology, the source of Lance's incredible energy was revealed. Although he has a large heart, (resting pulse of 34 beats/minute) it is not the largest compared to other top cyclists. However, his fuel-delivery system, the ability to transport oxygen from his lungs to his muscles, is unrivaled.
5. When Lance Armstrong is in top shape, he can deliver 500 watts of power...for one hour straight. The next time that you are at the gym, or on your exercise bike, try this. See if you can sustain even one minute at 500 watts. I couldn't. Amazing!

In my view, professional cyclists are the toughest of all athletes. The Tour de France is the hardest event on the planet. During the three weeks of the Tour, the competitors expend energy at a rate that exceeds the capabilities of all but four animal species...5,900 calories on average per day, 9,000+ calories on the longest mountain stages.

Lance Armstrong has risen to the apex of the sport by dint of incredible competitive drive (I hope it's not dope. He denies it, and has passed 150 drug tests over the past six years.) If he wins this year, the last year when his top rivals can say they beat the great "King Lance", he has reserves that none of the rest of us can imagine.