i'm wondering if anyone else feels the same here. i've gotten into several arguments both with cyclists and non about the tour and lance. i think that lance is a great athlete and by no means do i mean to down grade that in any way, shape, or form, but this is just bugging me. should the record of 5 times for winning the tour be broken or not. in my opinion merckx is one of the greatest riders ever to ride a bike, and now that the record is on the verge of being broken i find myself thinking "does lance really need to break this thing?" i think that being completely focused on one event is great, but the fact that merckx didn't just focus on the tour and won many other races all year long just says something about the quality of rider he is. now is it right for lance to beat that record and maybe, at least in some people's eyes, diminish what merckx or the other 5x'ers did? how many non cyclists even know who merckx or indurain are, but how many can point out lance? i think that the torch needs to be passed, let another rider rise and concentrate on other races lance, i.e. the giro or the vuelta.