Lance Armstrong

News that Nike is dropping its sponsorship of tainted cyclist Lance Armstrong brought me back to one of the most poignant sections of his first book, "It's Not About the Bike. " Armstrong described the aftermath of his testicular cancer diagnosis in 1996, as corporate sponsors decided he was no longer worth bankrolling. Nike was one of the few sponsors to stand by Armstrong as he recuperated -- despite the possibility that he would never race again. He vowed to be loyal when he returned to competition -- and forged a deep, mutually beneficial partnership with Nike as he won seven Tour de France titles.

The question now is: who's getting more out of Lance Armstrong's doping confession, the disgraced cyclist himself or Oprah? I say that because Oprah Winfrey -- the Doyenne of Drama, the High Priestess of Pathos -- was busy Tuesday flacking her big interview with Armstrong, which will air on her OWN Network Thursday and Friday. (Yes, the interview was so lengthy, Ope said, that it will now air over two days. “Just wrapped with @lancearmstrong More than 2 ½ hours. He came READY!

Lance Armstrong tried to shed his serious public persona Saturday in Ellicott City by poking fun at the elephant in a room about half-filled with triathletes: his lifetime competitive sporting ban. His host, Brock Yetso, president of the Ulman Cancer Fund, asked the recently dethroned seven-time Tour de France winner why he planned to participate Sunday in the Rev3 Half Full Triathlon at Centennial Park. "You have done a lot of races. … Why are you here? You could race, arguably, any race in the world," Yetso said.

Earlier this month, Lance Armstrong participated in a triathlon in Columbia, benefiting the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults. Despite some poor weather, the event was an overwhelming success. People turned out in droves to watch Mr. Armstrong compete and to hear him speak at Centennial High School. Like the spectators in Columbia and so many other people around the country, I am not prepared to write off Lance Armstrong as just the latest in a long line of professional athletes who have fallen from grace.

Lance Armstrong won the Revolution 3 Half-Full Triathlon at Centennial Park in Howard County on Sunday, finishing the 70-mile race in just under 4 hours, 11 minutes. The effort by the famous cyclist and embattled seven-time Tour de France winner in the combined swimming, biking and running event, organized by the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults to raise money for cancer awareness, brought him in more than 18 minutes ahead of the second place finisher, Louis Therien of Quebec. Sharon Schmidt-Mongrain of Lafayette Hill, Pa., was the top female finisher in just under 4 hours, 54 minutes.

Organizers of the charitable Half Full Triathlon are thrilled Lance Armstrong will compete in their October Howard County race. But critics in the sports community aren't sharing their enthusiasm. Because Armstrong has been banned for life from all sports governed by federations, organizers of the 3-year-old Half Full had to give up their status as a sanctioned race to welcome him, losing the prestige that comes with that status and opening the door to critics who say Armstrong's tarnished reputation stains the event.

There is no greater icon in American sports than super-cyclist Lance Armstrong. As virtually everybody knows, this gritty Texan survived a frightening bout with cancer and then won the grueling Tour de France, the Super Bowl of cycling, a record seven times. For years he has dodged accusations that his victories were made possible in part by the use of performance enhancing substances and techniques such as blood doping. At the heart of his defense is his assertion that he has never tested positive in any of the 500 or so occasions when he was tested for the use of PEDs.

Tuesday morning on CBS, Oprah Winfrey said that Lance Armstrong "brought it" to the interview she had taped with him the day before. Now that we've seen the interview Thursday night, we know that isn't exactly true. Yes, he admitted to doping and lying and lying and doping and lying and doping some more. But what else could he do? The evidence gathered and the actions taken by the United States Anti-Doping Agency have made it impossible for him to do anything else. But anyone who watched the 90-minute conversation and didn't walk away understanding they were listening to a sociopath who still thinks he's the smartest guy in the culture wasn't paying attention.

Mr. Flip supposes he could say Lance Armstrong's judgment has been in question ever since his splits with Sheryl Crow and then Kate Hudson. However, did you ever consider that the guy needs a break from hanging out with gorgeous, famous women? And what better way to get your mind off those beauties than hopping on a bike and pedaling until you feel like your thighs are going to explode? Mr. Flip also could assume the orthodox view that any athlete who has been on top and retires should not come back and risk tarnishing his legacy.

Linda Armstrong Kelly, mother of cycling champion Lance Armstrong, will sign copies of her new book at Princeton Sports from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Armstrong credits his mother with helping him win his Tour de France races and recover from cancer. Kelly's book, No Mountain High Enough: Raising Lance, Raising Me, will be for sale. Proceeds will be donate to Claudia Mayer Cancer Resource and Image Center, a support center, lending library and private salon for cancer survivors, their families and friends.