Lance Armstrong has done the unimaginable. He has turned me into a cycling fan in the course of the past 3 weeks. He was ably assisted by the Outdoor Life Network, which devoted roughly 20 hours of each cablecast day for most of the past month, to coverage of the Tour de France.

Starting early each morning, OLN presented each tour day in a concise package that ended normally about 8:30 am. The announcers, Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen, were decidedly pro-Armstrong, sometimes comically so. Armstrong’s primary rival for Tour supremacy, Jan Ullrich was having a particularly bad stretch in one of the mountain stages and Liggett/Sherwen directly questioned the German’s character.

If that occurred during an American sporting event, the athlete’s agent would have the network president on the phone in a nano-second, demanding a public apology, along with financial reparations. Press releases and press conferences would abound.

Several of the details of the Tour de France are as arcane as the rules of baseball (try explaining the infield fly rule to a non-baseball fan sometime). The yellow jersey is worn by the rider with the best overall time; the green jersey to the best sprinter; the pink polka dot number goes to the best climber and the white jersey to the best new rider in the event. Personally, I would pay not to wear the polka dot jersey, but that’s just me.

Top line riders have eight teammates to help them win the race. It seems that some days the teams race full out, sometimes they don’t. Armstrong trailed in the race by more than 9 minutes at one point, but wasn’t flustered in the least.

Armstrong’s recovery from cancer is well documented and to describe just his comeback from a medical standpoint as ‘heroic’ is an understatement. To then win six consecutive Tours de France, against the best riders in the world, is astounding.

On occasion I ride my bike on the Strand. One time a couple of years ago I rode past a Coronado police officer holding a radar gun, who told me I was riding 13 miles an hour. I thought that was pretty good, double digit speed and all that.

Armstrong rode 20 stages covering 2,106 miles in 83 hours, 36 minutes and 2 seconds, which is an average of 25.22 miles per hour. Consider that much of that mileage was covered climbing in the Pyrenees Mountains, and later in the race, the Alps. The riders went through hairpin turns, often in the driving rain. Stages routinely covered more than 100 miles in a day. Just finishing the Tour de France is considered to be a major accomplishment. A total of 188 riders started the race and 147 finished, meaning 22 percent of the riders dropped out.

I still don’t understand why, for no apparent reason, cyclists break off from the main group and are then reeled back in. Other nuances of the race are lost on me, but I do know Armstrong is due all of the accolades that he has received. I would be proud to pull my ‘Live Strong’ yellow bracelet out of the desk drawer and wear it proudly again next year at this time.

Closer to home, San Diego Padre second baseman Mark David Lorretta is quietly putting together a great season. The 6-foot, 185 pound La Canada, CA native is having a career year, hitting .337, with 10 homers and 49 runs batted in. Over the last 10 games, as the Padres are embroiled in a pennant race with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants, he is hitting .444 (20-45). As importantly, his fielding average is currently .990, with the sure-handed Loretta committing only five errors in 478 chances this season.

Loretta, who will turn 33 August 14, is a graduate of Northwestern University, with a degree in business. He was the Big 10 Conference baseball MVP in 1993 and lists ‘playing the violin’ as one of his hobbies. Recognized as an All-Star in 2004 for his great start to the season, Loretta is well on his way to becoming one of the best second basemen in baseball.

Even closer to home, the football clinic put on by Coronado Youth Football Sunday at the Coronado Cays was a rousing success, especially for a first year event. More than 50 youngsters took part in drills run by Coronado High School Varsity Head Coach Bud Mayfield. Ably assisting Coach Mayfield were about a dozen Islander varsity football players, many of whom learned just how short the attention span of a Mitey Mite football player can be.

The players of all ages seemed to enjoy themselves, with Coronado Youth Football and the CHS Varsity Teams both participating in the proceeds of the event. Congratulations to CYF President Karen Kerr, Youth Football Coaching Coordinator Tony Isabella and CHS Football Booster Club members Ken Maskevich, Lee Pontes, and George Thorne for their collective roles in a successful event.

Last week we reported that we would have CHS fall sports information for you, and here it is.

Boys and Girls Cross Country - There is a summer running club for athletes interested in getting in shape. Some members of the team will participate in a running camp at Big Bear from Aug. 21-26. For more information, please contact Head Coach Mel Bechtel at 424-6478 or E-mail Asst. Coach George Green at GeorgeGreen@CrownCity.com.

Football – Equipment issue is scheduled for August 16-17 and conditioning practices will begin Aug. 18. Hell Week is scheduled for Aug. 23-28. For more information, please contact the Head Coach Bud Mayfield or the coaching staff at the CHS Football office 522-8970, Ext. 2707.

Girls Golf – Parents and athletes are invited to attend an organizational meeting at the Coronado Golf Course at 3 pm, Friday, Aug. 20. Practice will begin Monday, Aug. 23. For information, please contact Head Coach Kari Weidner at 861-3898 or E-mail her at KLW144@yahoo.com.

Girls Tennis – Practice and tryouts will begin Monday, Aug. 23. For more information, please call Head Coach Robbin Adair at 435-5140 or contact him via E-mail at RLAat814@aol.com.

Girls Volleyball – Practice and tryouts will commence Aug. 20 at 9 am at the CHS gym. For more information, please contact Head Coach Phil Trotter at philtrotter23@hotmail.com.

Boys Water Polo – Interested players should meet at the school tennis courts at 8 am, Monday, Aug. 23. For more information, please contact Head Coach Randy Burgess at 522-8970, Ext. 2704 or visit www.nadopolo.com.

Also, don’t forget the date for athletic physicals for all Coronado High School and Coronado Middle School athletes, which will be held Monday, August 9 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. Physicians Dr. Patricia Kettlehake and Dr. Laura Fagerlund have agreed to head the effort this year. Athletes should assemble on the fourth floor of the parking lot at the Bank of America Building, located at 1050 B Avenue. The physicals will be given at the Coronado Specialty Medical Center.

Please note that all athletes must have a valid, current physical before they can begin practice with a CHS or CMS team, at any level. Physical forms may be downloaded from the Islander Sports Foundation’s website, which is www.IslanderSportsFoundation.com, or picked up at Coronado Middle School during summer school hours. All physical forms should be filled out by parents before going to the medical center. Checks should be made payable to CHSASB Athletics.

The doctors provide the physicals, which cost $15 per athlete, or $25 if there are two athletes from the same family. For three or more athletes from the same family, the charge is $10 per athlete. The fees are then donated back to the CHS athletic department and are used to purchase training supplies (athletic tape, wraps, etc.) for the year.