Michael O'Hair
If it weren't for the fact that Mister Borges has a national forum, this
would
be funny. The part I like the best is:
=== Start Quote
For my money, being the greatest athlete in the world involves
strength, speed, agility, hand-eye coordination, mental toughness and the
ability to make your body do things that defy description. Chief among them
is not pumping your legs up and down while your feet are strapped to bicycle
pedals.
=== End Quote
Perhaps Mister Borges would like to ask Darrel Hailey, the ex-NFL
linebacker, about "mental toughness" when he rode in the IronMan bike
race. Perhaps Mister Borges would like to climb Mount Ventoux and
then reconsider his phrase "... the ability to make your body do things
that defy description." Or perhaps he would like to descend in the
Alps at 60 MPH and then reconsider his statement about hand-eye
coordination.
This is the "exclusive or" mentality that afflicts many sports writers and
other non-participants: Either you play football (or golf or soccer or...),
or you're not a real athlete. Back in the fifties, Sports Illustrated
named
Willie Hoppe as the "athlete" of the first half of the twentieth century.
Most
of you have never heard of the man. He was the most feared billiard player
in the world and one of the few to make the move from balk-line to three
cushion successfully. The criterion for his selection was simple: No other
player dominated their sport as completely as he did or for as long.
Mister Borges mentions other athletes who are currently dominant in
their sports but does not consider how they would do in cycling. I would
certainly not want to have to face either Williams sister on a tennis court,
but put them on a bicycle and I'll take them on. I've had the privlege of
seeing Pele play soccer when he was "past his prime" and it was clear
that he was the best there was. Watching Tiger Woods is to see a
champion in action. The same goes for Wilma Rudolph, Al Oerter,
and Willie Mosconi when they were at the peak of their form.
Mister Borges missed the point entirely. Art is taking the ordinary and
making it universal. Riding a bike is not hard. But riding at Lance
Armstrong's level is nearly impossible.
Enough typing, I have to go ride.