Armstrong No Longer the Alpha Male

When historians try to pinpoint the most heartbreaking day of the year, they need look only at Sunday and listen to this phrase.

"As far as I'm concerned, I'm happy to be his domestique."

That's what Lance Armstrong said after the famed Pontarlier-to-Verbier leg of the Tour de France. And as far as I'm concerned, the second-greatest story of the year just had its tires punctured with 500 miles to go.

The greatest would have been Tom Watson winning the British Open at age 89, or whatever he is. Right behind would have been a 37-year-old coming out of retirement to win the world's greatest bicycle race.

Like a lot of people, I wouldn't know a peloton if it came up and handed me a business card. But like a lot of people, I was psyched to spend the next few days watching Armstrong try to do the impossible.

The perfect ending would have been him riding into Paris on Sunday in the yellow jersey, again sticking it to all those sniveling French who've made careers out of accusing Armstrong of cheating.

Now he's using one of the many French words for surrender.

Domestique.

The proper translation is "servant." It's a respectable fate in cycling circles. It's just so un-Lancelike.

The guy is John Wayne in spandex. He kicked cancer's butt. He won seven straight Tour de Frances, dated Sheryl Crow and inspired millions to overcome their obstacles.

Armstrong didn't need another win to establish his credentials as a living legend. He just couldn't contain that inner drive that propelled him over the Alps, the Pyrenees and whatever else got in his way.

Off he went on his grand adventure, and we were thrilled to go along for the ride. Now he's going Domestique on us. John Wayne is putting on an apron.

Armstrong will spend the next six days working for teammate Alberto Contador. He'll run interference, chase down breakaways, deliver food, take dictation and basically do whatever it takes to make sure Contador wins.

The 27-year-old Spaniard blew everybody away in the final miles of Sunday's 129-mile stage. Armstrong is still in second place, only 1:37 behind. Considering there are still five stages left, that doesn't seem like a bad spot to be.

Shows how much I know about cycling, and why it will never be a major sport.

Contador and Armstrong both pedal for Astana. They've been doing a Kobe and Shaq routine for the past couple of weeks, each believing they are the better player.

Contador was definitely better Sunday, so now Armstrong is bound by the unwritten code of cycling ethics. Or maybe they really are written. All I know is our man Lance has to support Contador or he'll be considered the Terrell Owens of cycling.

"There has been a lot of drama about Alberto and me, especially in the media," Armstrong said. "But at the end of the day we all sit around the table, around the teammates, and the last thing we can do is lose the Tour. I'm gonna do my best and be a solid teammate."

Considering we spend our lives criticizing egomaniacal athletes who put themselves before their teams, it's hard to criticize Armstrong. He is essentially saying that he's not bigger than the sport. The problem is he is bigger than the sport.

Most of us haven't bothered to learn cycling protocol. We have been taught that it ain't over till it's over, the opera isn't over until the fat lady sings and in the immortal words of John Blutarsky, "Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor ?

"Hell, no!"

If you're not up on your Animal House trivia, Bluto and the boys from the Delta house then transformed a '66 Lincoln Continental into the Deathmobile and wiped out Faber College's Homecoming Parade.

With cycling, it apparently is over before it's over. I don't expect Armstrong to channel John Belushi. It's just hard to accept the fact that his Tour de France is over and the Champs-Elysees is still six days away.

It feels like a baseball team giving up in the seventh inning or a golfer giving up with six holes to play. Thank goodness Watson didn't do that on Sunday or we wouldn't have had one of the most memorable tournaments in history.

That was the British Open, however, this is Tour de France. The domestique is singing even though the race isn't over.

As odd as that seems, it's really hard to hear it from Lance Armstrong.