Superhero Lance

Eastern Iowa is all a flutter with the impending arrival of bicyclist extraordinaire Lance Armstrong. The seven-time(?) Tour de France winner is riding a leg on RAGBRAI (The Des Moines Register's Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa). So, I guess we have to all go nutzo as Lance breezes into Marengo, IA and all rural points along the way.

Why do we react to guys like Armstrong the way we do? Who is he, really? He's a guy that had cancer and lived through it. He was married to a famous singer (Sheryl Crow) and now is divorced. He's a mostly retired professional athlete considered by most to be the best at what he did.

Obviously, I don't know Lance Armstrong personally. From the sidelines, he strikes me as self-centered. Lived through the cancer because of how hard he worked -- no credit to God for allowing his life to continue. Left his wife (any kids?) when the "love" ran dry. "The World's Best Bicyclist" -- sounds cool, but I'm sure there has been a price to pay in being solely devoted to your own body and a contraption that propels you forward on two wheels.

I wouldn't care to be Lance Armstrong. I wouldn't care to obtain his autograph. I certainly wouldn't flock to the twon square in Marengo just to gawk at the guy. But I suppose I wouldn't mind going to a one-on-one dinner with him to see what they guy is really like. I'd ask him, "What achievement of your life, Lance, has staying power? What will be significant 100 years after you've been buried?" His responses would be far more interesting than his signature hanging on a corkboard, or a fuzzy digital photo shot from 50 feet away.