Lance vs. the mortals

Just in case you’re not impressed by Lance Armstrong’s five consecutive Tour de France victories, consider how difficult the race itself is. Here is a list of every single man who has FINISHED the each of the last five Tours de France.

[name, (best place, average place)]
Lance Armstrong (1, 1)
Francisco Mancebo (7, 13.4)
Tyler Hamilton (4, 30.2)
Massimiliano Lelli (14, 31.4)
Giuseppe Guerini (22, 40.4)
Mario Aerts (21, 43)
George Hincapie (47, 64)
Eric Zabel (61, 87)
Christophe Mengin (70, 92.6)
Sebastien Hinault (123, 134.2)

That’s right. Only 10 men have managed to finish each of the last 5 Tours. Injury and fitness often keep riders out. Illness, fatigue, and crashes make them quit. It’s a war of attrition, and it’s amazing for someone to start and finish five in a row. Notice only three of these men have ever finished in the top 10. Imagine what it’s like to win 5 in a row!

Lance Armstrong took a lot of criticism this year for not blowing his competition away. People acted like he was losing because he wasn’t up by 5 minutes. He was on the defensive every day but one, but he never cracked. He was dogged by crashes and nearly taken down in Beloki’s crash. He lost 12 pounds in the first time trial and got severely dehydrated. Lance Armstrong had a BAD TOUR and he still won.

So, where does he fit among the other 5-time winners?