The Texan was a great swimmer as a teenager, so 50 minutes seems reasonable. He could easily set a 4:15 mark on the bike, then cruise to a three-hour marathon and carve another notch on his leather belt in, say, 8 hours 10 minutes.

How cool would it be to see Lance take on Peter Reid, Tim DeBoom, Normann Stadler, Simon Lessing and the rest of the gang?

After all, he beat cancer. He smashed the world's toughest endurance test into submission. He is the avatar of the despairing and suffering who's proved that nothing is impossible. His VO2 max is off the charts. He is only 33 years of age. Why not?

In fact, after his record seventh win and declared retirement from cycling, Armstrong told an international press conference at Saint-Etienne, France that he would be interested in a marathon and wouldn't rule out Ironman.

Armstrong was in Denver yesterday to promote the opening of the 24 Hour Fitness Lance Armstrong Sports Club in nearby Lowry, Colorado. In an interview with John Henderson of the Denver Post , Armstrong revealed some human frailties that may tone down the daydreams.

After going for a run with girlfriend Sheryl Crow in the days after his final Tour, Armstrong told the Post , "I was basically crippled. I'm perfectly fit and I couldn't get out of bed. We ran for 20 minutes, and I said 'I may have to stop and walk.' It about killed me. I don't need this."

At the press conference in St. Etienne, Armstrong mentioned he would like to do a marathon in two hours and 30 minutes, but retreated from that goal in Denver. "No way! Why would you want to run a 2:30? Why not run 3:30 and have fun?"