Jabbing at perhaps the sport’s best-loved hero, the premier bicycling event the Tour de France lowered its heavy Gallic hand today, negating the Lance Armstrong tribute TEAM USA had planned. Considering the wonders of P. R. Lance Armstrong has delivered to the sport of bicycling and competitive racing and the Tour de France, one can only wonder at their questionable promotional savvy. Armstrong wasn’t living strong this year, finishing 23rd.

Someone named Alberto Contador won the event, snore. Not that he doesn’t make a tantalizing case for the yellow jersey and shorts (ahem). But Armstrong’s P.R. splash would have made schoolchildren all over American make an effort to find Luxembourg and the Champs-Elysees on a map. And chain wars and argy-bargy romps from the Brits aside, bicycling will just never have the drama of Super-G or Indy 500 revolutions to watch. Except when Armstrong is in play.