by Kenneth Black

Created on: September 19, 2008   Last Updated: December 16, 2011

For those missing his presence, look and wonder no more. He's back.

Lance Armstrong, the seven-time winner of the Tour de France, apparently is no longer satisfied with his seven titles. He figured it was time for an eighth.

Though he was at the top of his game when he retired, he still decided to walk away from the sport that used to be nothing more than a niche in the United States. He made cycling mainstream. But going out on top usually means there is something left.

And whether Armstrong can regain his top form or not, one thing is clear: He has injected excitement into the sport of cycling once again.

Cycling post-Armstrong

Since Armstrong left the sport in 2005, there has been a lot of change. Exceptional riding has been replaced with exceptional turmoil, so much so that some have wondered if cycling should be mothballed altogether.

Plagued by doping allegations among the sport's top riders, road cycling has struggled to find any credibility as a fair competition. The sport's biggest names, especially during the Armstrong era, have admitted to doping, been involved with nefarious doping doctors, attempted doping (whatever that is) or failed doping tests. Jan Ullrich, Alexandre Vinokourov, Tyler Hamilton, Ivan Basso, and Floyd Landis - the list gets quite long.

Landis, of course, is the American who had supposedly won the Tour de France in 2006 and was stripped of the title after a test during one stage of the race. It came back as positive for synthetic testosterone.

Armstrong's Record

The seven-time Tour de France champion notes often he has never failed a doping test. But the speculation has run rampant. After all, how is it possible a clean rider could dominate a dirty sport in what arguably was its dirtiest era?

"Suspicion has followed Lance Armstrong since 1999. Everyone knows that," said Tour Director Christian Prudhomme recently.

One French paper, just weeks after Armstrong's retirement in 2005, ran a story about how a backup sample of Armstrong's urine had been tested and revealed EPO, a banned substance. However, the procedures and source have been called into question.

Furthermore, at least in the United States, the sport has struggled to find a fresh face that has gathered a following. Alberto Contador, who won the Tour in 2007, seemed to be able to do so, but his associations with Team Astana meant he did not race the Tour de France in 2008. Astana was not allowed to run in the 2008 Tour because of its past reputation concerning doping.

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