Is Lance Armstrong the greatest endurance athlete EVER? When I first read that Lance Armstrong at 37 years of age was back in the saddle after years of retirement my original thought was how sad, another former champion about to tarnish his legacy by trying to reclaim his glory days. Lance Armstrong is currently 1 second from the lead going into the mountain stages where he has traditionally smoked his competitors in his previous 7 wins. I consider the Tour de France to be the most grueling endurance competition ever. Think about it, 2200 miles on a bike in 23 stages with only 3 or 4 days off and the final 10 stages are all climbing mountains. I don’t think I even drive 2200 miles in a year. These guys average 34 or 35 miles per hour in a 110 mile flat stage race. Lance is the f^@%ing Man!