For cancer patients, aspiring cyclists, and the surprisingly large number of kids with an affinity for yellow silicone bracelets, Lance Armstrong was an inspiration, a paradigm of the unconquerable nature of the human spirit. In the words of my personal hero, Boromir from The Lord of the Rings, one does not simply ... survive cancer and go on to win the Tour de France seven consecutive times.
But the thing is, one really doesn’t.
