If, for a dare, the likes of Tiger Woods, Michael Phelps and Roger Federer were asked to race the Tour de France, how long would they survive? A day on steep uphills in the thin air of the Alps? A week on roads so sun-scorched that the tarmac melts?
Which is why, if judged solely on physical endurance, Lance Armstrong would hands-down win The Associated Press’ Athlete of the Decade award.
Perhaps never again will any athlete, let alone a cancer survivor, dominate the most grueling event in sports like he did. In winning seven consecutive Tours from 1999-2005, Armstrong not only made history, obliterating the previous record of five wins. He also transformed cycling, gave a kiss of life to the legendary race that had nearly overdosed on drug scandals and raised the bar on the definition of “exceptional.â€Â  … Details
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Indianapolis 500 qualifying is to be cut back to a single-weekend event in 2010.
For most of its history, qualifying for the IndyCar Series’ showpiece race has been spread over two weekends, with the most recent format seeing the grid set across four days. Since 2005, the top 11 places have been decided on Pole Day Saturday, positions 12 to 22 on the Sunday afterward, then the final 11 spots the following Saturday before non-qualifiers attempted to get back into the field on the final Bump Day … Details
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German Kristin Boese has secured her mark in the sport’s history by winning the Guinness World Recordsâ„¢ for the most kiteboarding world championships attained by a woman athlete. The certificate states: “The most kite surfing world championships won by a woman is nine and was achieved by Kristin Boese (Germany) between 2005 to 2008.”
Boese is the owner of nine World Championship titles, with the ninth title in the wave discipline recently officially recognized. …Â Details
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When it comes to off-road racing, the Dakar Rally is the Super Bowl of events, and the kickoff is set for January 1. When Volkswagen American factory driver, Mark Miller straps in to his Volkswagen Race Touareg for the 17-day journey across South America, he’ll be taking Twitter users along for the ride. Fans can follow Miller at www.twitter.com/MarkMillerDakar.
The 32nd edition of the Dakar Rally begins … Details
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