The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

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‘Piss off the French’ by ignoring Tour
Editor:
If Lance Armstrong wants to "piss off the French,” he should consider riding the Giro and the Vuelta in 2006, bypassing the Tour de France completely.

Given the massive media coverage the follows him on and off the bike, the other two grand tours would reap a windfall of publicity, while the Tour would be relegated to second-class status for a year.

The added bonus for Armstrong would be the possibility to at least partially silence his critics who complain that he's concentrated on the Tour at the expense of other worthy races.

Greg Priddy
Mentor, Ohio

How can we miss you if you won’t go away?
Editor:
Don't you actually have to be gone for a while for it to be a comeback? Lance hasn't done anything different this year than any other, with the exception of a post-Tour race or two. He usually is absent in August and September.

Lance, please stay retired. It was too painful to watch Jordan, Gretsky, and all the others. Not that Lance will be the same. But go back and read all that "how great it is that Lance is going out on top" stuff.

Now, if he wants to show up next year at the Single Speed World Championship, that would be cool.

Tim Swift
Milton, Pennsylvania

Stay retired or race a full season
Editor:
I know many people would love to see Lance come back next year and win another Tour. But I have to ask the question: Why? How many times does an athlete get to go out on top? Too often we have seen a great athlete hold on too long and then be forced to retire because he/she can't keep up with the new generation. Jerry Rice is the latest to make this mistake.

I say, Lance, let it go. You may want to stick it to the newspaper and the writers, but don't ruin your legacy. If Lance does try to make a comeback, I suggest that he try to realize that the season is longer than just the month of July. He must race a full season if he wants to shut critics up.

Ryan Wheeler
Lynchburg, Virginia

What about the kids?
Editor:
So, Lance comes out of retirement in 2006 to "piss off the French?” Hmm. As I recall, his primary reason for retiring has always been to spend more time with the kids. "Uh, sorry kids, but I won't be seeing you much for the next seven months. I've got to go piss off some French journalists who are otherwise irrelevant to your lives."

Kevin Kinnear
Boulder, Colorado

And meanwhile, back at the bike racing …
Editor:
To see how bad coverage of the major cycling events is most of the media in this country (apart from the Tour de France), one only has to look at my local paper (which happens to be The Washington Post). On page 2 of the September 5 sports section, they carry one lone picture of the seventh stage of the Vuelta. And as if that weren’t bad enough, the caption states that the race ends on September 6! Thank goodness for the Internet (especially your site). Keep up the good work.

Colin Seftor
Annandale, Virginia

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The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.