This is how close I was when Lance Armstrong went past me during the final Time Trial at the Giro d'Italia. I have better pictures but this one captures what it was like for me.
Almost. After he went by, my emotions swelled and I began to cry. Perhaps it was the small link: two cancer survivors riding bikes in Italy. Even now, almost two days later, I can still feel it. Maybe it's best not to analyze it and just feel it.
Livestrong. That's the name of Lance's anti-cancer foundation and, during the trip, those words kept coming to me. I had decided to approach life that way. Until Lance rode by I hadn't realized what that really meant. Here was a guy who was as good as dead who went on to win the Tour de France seven times in a row. Even more important, though, here he was riding in the Giro d'Italia 2 months after he broke his collar bone in three places. He was not at the top of the classification. He was riding to support his team mates and struggling over a hard course like every other rider. He may never win another bike race but, in Rome, he showed me what living strong means.
