There will be no grand tour of last bicycle races for Lance Armstrong, who announced his retirement — dubbed Retirement 2.0 — from the sport effective immediately.
The 39-year-old raced in January at the Tour Down Under in Australia, which he previously said would be his last international race. The announcement brings to an end any possibility that he might compete in the upcoming Amgen Tour of California or Quizno's Pro Challenge in Colorado.
Armstrong returned to pro cycling in 2009 after announcing Retirement 1.0 in 2005. He's retiring now to spend more time with his family and work to fight cancer with his Livestrong Foundation, according to the AP, which broke the story.
“Today, I am announcing my retirement from professional cycling in order to devote myself full-time to my family, to the fight against cancer and to leading the foundation I established before I won my first Tour de France.”
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Later, on his Twitter account, Armstrong said:
“Thanks for all the messages on retirement 2.0. And thanks for ALL the support the past 2.5 yrs. Onward!”
Some reaction:
UCI president Pat McQuaid:
“His contribution to cycling has been enormous, from both the sporting point of view and his personality. All sports need global icons and he has become a global icon for cycling. The sport of cycling has a lot to be thankful for because of Lance Armstrong.”
Christian Vande Velde, cyclist on Garmin
“He's leaving a real legacy and to come back and get third in the Tour at the age he was and after what he'd already accomplished is pretty impressive.”
Eddy Merckx, another cycling icon
“It was time for him to stop. He's won everything, had nothing left to prove to anybody.”
The best examination of Armstrong's comeback and re-retirement comes from Neal Rogers at VeloNews. He asks the question of whether Armstrong's comeback was worth it. Looking at everything that's happened in past two years, you can probably guess his conclusion.
Cancer
Armstrong won a record-breaking 7 straight Tours de France from 1999 through 2005.
Coming out of retirement, he finished 3rd in the 2009 Tour de France, losing to teammate Alberto Contador. He series of crashes in 2010 led to a 23rd place finish.
Armstrong famously was diagnosed with testicular cancer at age 25. The treatments interrupted his cycling career, but gave him an opportunity to create the Livestrong Foundation. His survival is chronicled in the bestseller, “It's Not About the Bike.”
Armstrong has five children, three with his first wife and two with his current companion.
As Armstrong ends his career, federal investigators continue to probe whether he used perfomance enhancing drugs, as alleged by former teammate Floyd Landis. An AP story reported recently that investigators are facing some serious hurdles.
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