Armstrong could just be better than anybody else

Lance Armstrong is in the news once again following the latest claims from Floyd Landis. The doping accusations once again raise questions about his seven Tour de France wins, but Brendan Gallagher suggests in the Telegraph that it could just be that he is better than everyone else.

You would never know but probably the most exciting Giro in history is nearing the end of its second week. You could write a book about it, but there is only one story in cycling that counts: Drugs. And above all else is the $64,000 question: can we believe Lance Armstrong’s seven consecutive wins in the Tour de France after recovering from a diagnosis of terminal cancer?

It is a fiendishly difficult and legally fraught scenario. Despite the steady drop of public allegations, nobody has come close to producing evidence to discredit that magnificent seven. Armstrong has never tested positive and clumsy efforts by French sports paper L’Equipe to retest samples that are nearly 10 years old and possibly ill preserved have backfired.

You also have to consider last year’s Tour, when aged nearly 38, Armstrong – tested from dawn to dusk and having not ridden competitively for three years – finished third despite missing six weeks of training with a broken collarbone.

It could just be that he is better than anybody else.

Lord Sebastian Coe has been parachuted in to aid the bid for the 2018 World Cup and he has told the Telegraph that despite the damaging situation that forced the resignation of Lord Triesman, there is a big chance of success.

To win the big prizes, sacrifices have to be made and obstacles overcome. I am fortunate to have been involved with a number of excellent teams who have worthwhile goals. One of these is London 2012 who will put on an Olympic and Paralympic Games to remember. Another is 2018 World Cup bid, which I strongly believe in.

Major sporting events change lives and millions of people in this country know they will play a full role when we put on spectacular games.

England is still in a position to win the 2018 World Cup bid – it is a marathon not a sprint. The technical bid handed to Fifa president Sepp Blatter by David Beckham remains as excellent now as it was on that day in Zurich.