Lance who?

Armstrong anonymous in 2010?

Suddenly there are so many other stories vying for attention - the launch of Team Sky, the prospect of Alberto Contador going head-to-head with Andy Schleck in the mountains of the Tour, the emergence of Bradley Wiggins as an overall contender, the phenomenon that is Mark Cavendish...

Richard Moore
Quotes of the week

Twelve months ago there was only one story in the world of cycling. It concerned the imminent comeback of Lance Armstrong, three-and-a-half years after the seven-time Tour de France winner's retirement.

While Armstrong was away attending red carpet events, running the odd marathon and canoodling with celebrities, his sport seemed permanently on the brink of meltdown.

The first post-Lance Tour, in 2006, was cataclysmic. The American's old rivals Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso were expelled on the eve of the race for their involvement in a blood doping ring.

Then Armstrong's old team-mate, Floyd Landis, who 'won' in spectacular style, tested positive for testosterone four days later, and was stripped of the title.

The doping scandals continued in 2007 - Michael Rasmussen ejected while in yellow, double stage-winner Alexandre Vinokourov snared for blood-doping - and 2008, when another double stage-winner, Stefan Schumacher, tested positive, along with his team-mate, the third-place finisher and King of the Mountains, Bernhard Kohl.

So many of the sport's stars had fallen by the wayside that it was inevitable that the sponsors would begin to desert in their droves.

Add in the global recession and it seemed that cycling could be doomed. It is a sport that has always depended on commercial sponsorship - the Tour began as an advert on wheels, effectively, for a newspaper - and so it has always been especially vulnerable to the prevailing economic climate.

Jolt

But in the midst of all this, Armstrong caused a jolt by announcing his comeback. Was he returning to save the sport? No, he said, his motivation was to raise global awareness of cancer.

This puzzled some: cycling, as I have just described, appeared in a discredited, even parlous state. As a publicity vehicle, it was beginning to look about as impressive as Del Trotter's three-wheeled Robin.

In the event, Armstrong returned to the podium of the Tour - not quite the top step, but third was an impressive performance for a 37-year old.

He also organised a Global Cancer Summit in Dublin, and met with politicians wherever he happened to be racing, putting the case for more funding.

And now, 12 months on, he is preparing for another season - his final, final one, he says - with a new team, sponsored by RadioShack. They announced their 26-man roster this week, and it looks familiar - nearly half have jumped ship from Astana.

Is it just me, though, or is it very difficult to get excited about Armstrong's second comeback season? Suddenly there are so many other stories vying for attention - the launch of Team Sky, the prospect of Alberto Contador going head-to-head with Andy Schleck in the mountains of the Tour, the emergence of Bradley Wiggins as an overall contender, the phenomenon that is Mark Cavendish...

The truth is that, while 12 months ago the impact of his return was enormous, Armstrong could find himself a fairly anonymous member of the peloton next year.

Forget about a Tour showdown with his former team-mate and now bitter rival Contador - even though the Spaniard is likely to find himself in a weakened Astana team, his superiority is such that it should be more mis-match than revenge match.

Armstrong had a huge incentive this year - to prove he could return as a contender. He proved it. Now what? As he 'Tweets' from rock concerts and with updates on his celebrity friends, you can't help but wonder if he still has the motivation, never mind the hunger, to do it all over again.

I could be wrong, and these words could come back to haunt me (especially if he happens to read them), but next year we could be in for one of the oddest sights of all - Lance Armstrong as Mr Anonymous.