>>>Actually it should be the other way around (IMO).
>>>
>>>What Tiger Woods did over the weekend has never been done before. We are looking the at next Babe Ruth or Michael Jordan. People that have redefined the way their sport is played.
>>
>>What, precisely, is it that Tiger did that had not been done before? How has he "redefined" golf, one of the most over-regulated pastimes ever invented?
>
>He has created a new level for people to shoot at in his sport. Babe Ruth did it when he hit 60 home runs. The next closest person hit under 30. He has won the 4 major events (where the best of the best come to play) by a total of 36 shots. This is unheard of before now. Even when Jack was in his prime, he had Palmer, Trevino, Player and Watson challenging him (and sometimes beating). There is no one on the tour now that has shown they can do that with Tiger. He intimidates them.

>
>>>
>>>What Lance Armstrong did over the weekend was amazing but it did not redefine anything. He overcamse cancer, surgery and chemotherapy to make his way back into the sport. Coming back as he did should be lauded as a great personal achievement. He should be paraised by everyone for his determination and strength of character for never giving up.
>>>
>>>But again, this is not new. Greg LeMond did something similar in 1990 coming back from gun shot wounds from a hunting accident. He still had shotgun pellets in his body when he won. He repeated as champion in 1991.
>>>
>>>On a personal level, Lance deserves to be number 1 this past weekend. On a purely sports platform, he falls a distant second to Tiger.
>>
>>In a 3 hour period on a nice afternoon, you can:
>>
>>- play a round of golf, or
>>
>>- jump on your bike, pick a scenic road route of 60 - 80 kms, with about 1000m of climbs total. Bear in mind this is a moderate to brisk club ride, certainly not race-worthy.
>>
>>Pick two days, do both, then re-examine the question.
>
>I don't deny that the Tour is more strenous. Just biking Stage 14 (249 KM/155 mi) would be enough to kill most people let alone the entire race. But we aren't talking about that. We are talking about what each individual did over the weekend with respect to his own sport.
>
>Tiger performed one of the greatest feats his sport has ever seen. Lance falls way back in the pack, behind Greg Lemond, Bernard Hinualt and Miguel Indurain (the true Mr. Mountain Man). IMO. ;-)

You haven't taken your bike ride yet, have you ;-)

All kidding aside, you argue your points well, but we're talking about two slightly different things. In dominance of sport, Tiger leads at the moment. Intimidating, yes - as was Lance after Stage 10. However, I am always a little suspicious of achievements gauged against other people rather than against a fixed reference like a clock. One must be careful not to confuse "lack of competition" with "greatness".

The hallmark of Tiger's recent run has been consistency. What this clearly proves is that to win at golf, it is best to avoid trouble. Personally, I don't find that inspiring at all. It's like dump-and-chase hockey, kneeling in the final seconds of a football game, or even professional bowling, for Pete's sake. Much more inspiring would be the unknown journeyman who takes advantage of near-perfect conditions at St. Andrews and shoots a once-in-a-lifetime 63 or 62. A feat like that truly opens new vistas on what's possible. Shooting 3, 4, 5 under par in a single round last weekend - lots of other golfers did that, they just weren't as consistent.

Don't forget Coppi and Merckx (amongst many, many others) if you're talking great cyclists. But also don't forget the Tour's final individual time trial, where Lance set a new Tour record for the distance, when he already had a lead of 5:37 over his nearest competition.

Lance vs. the Big Mig in his prime? We'll never know - but it's fun to speculate, isn't it? :-)

So, to recap, Tiger is probably a more dominant "sportsman", today, in his chosen sport. But, as an athlete, my original point of contention, Tiger will never be as much of an athlete as anyparticipant of the TdF, whether a finisher or not.

What are the next goals of these two gentlemen? Tiger - win another half a million at his next tournament. Lance - the Sydney Olympics. 'Nuff said.