Bidding adieu to cycling

The Lance Armstrong era is over, again.

At age 38, Armstrong crossed the finish line in 23rd place Sunday at the Tour de France, nearly 40 minutes behind champion Alberto Contador.

Some will say Lance tainted his legacy by hanging on to competitive cycling for too long. Others will wait to write their final comments about Armstrong as a federal doping investigation circles in.

Ultimately, I think Armstrong will be revered for captivating our hearts in winning seven consecutive Tours (1999-2005).

He'll also be remembered as a cancer survivor and advocate. Which is why Armstrong's RadioShack team tried to wear black jerseys with "28" on the back. The figure honoring the 28 million people fighting cancer.

But the curmudgeons at International Cycling Union forced the team to wear its normal red jerseys and said Monday the team will be investigated for breaching clothing regulations.

Really?

It's bad enough that you can race for three grueling weeks and end up with a result everyone predicted would happen.

Cycling is sport that's been soured by doping, ruled by Europeans who groused excessively when a Texan won their top prize and will now take the time investigate a uniform breach.

Without an American serving as underdog in the Tour, I don't really care to watch a drama-less .

Armstrong bid adieu to the Tour de France on Sunday. I'll bid cycling and the Tour adieu too.