He never struck me as a man who could win by losing, not after conquering cycling and cancer and becoming one of the world's most inspirational souls. But in finishing third at the Tour de France, an event he once shaped into his personal Tour de Lance every summer, Lance Armstrong did his image more favors than he ever did during seven years of domination. He used to be an arrogant, combative and bitter cuss, an enemy of the French and a target of local doping sleuths/media poised to catch him in the steroids act.But you'll never guess the headline Sunday in the sports daily L'Equipe, one of the news outlets that have portrayed him as a scandalous figure through the years. "Chapeau, Le Texan," it said. Or, hats off to the Texan.
