The Superhuman ?

His lungs can expand twice that of any normal human being. His heart has a capacity of pumping 3 times more blood than other humans, if needed. His muscles secretes less amount of lactic acid and has a tendency to fatigue less than others. His RBC count is more than that of any normal being, and helps retain more oxygen in the blood.

Ever since Lance Armstrong won the 7th Tour De France, critics all over the world are searching for reasons to explain his phenomenal feat. There are some who are trying to pinpoint his extraordinary physical strenghts as something which sets him apart from the average human being. People have gone as far as to attribute his remarkable achievements solely to these physical prowess - they have literally dubbed him superhuman, and ruled out any chance of a normal human being repeating the effort.

I am a very big fan of Armstrong, though I have watched and followed only 1 tour completely (2003). I have read his book "Every Second Counts", and it's surely the most inspirational book I have ever read. The language as well as story has inspiration oozing out of every line and page and I am now desperate to lay my hands on his other book "It's not about the bike".

However, I would like to request all the critics in the world to refrain from tagging him a superhuman based on his physical abilities. The world, and I for sure, need an inspiration to live by, and I want to believe that he was as human as I am. Only then can I believe that such feats could be emulated. When he was struck by testicular cancer, he was as frail and vulnerable as anyone else. Pro-cancer, he had failures in his career like any average sportsman. His dad walked out on the family when he was 2, and his 18 year old pregnant mom worked at grocery story for his upbringing. Though doctors told him that he is chance of surviving cancer was 40%, in reality, it was something close to 10%.

But Lance rose from all these hardships to ride to the pinnacle of what a sporstman could only dream to achieve. What set him apart was not his physical strengths, but his grit and determination. His lungs and heart might be bigger, but his brain was the same size as the average human being. I am sure he wouldn't have developed any of his physical abnomalities without the training, which in turn was driven by a steel will.

When critics call him superhuman, they are not only envious of him, but they are belittling the capabilities of mankind as a whole. They are probably destroying the motivation for millions of people all over the world, and that includes not just weak cancer afflicted people, but able bodied youth like you and me. Please call him Human, and celebrate the abilities of Mankind (and womankind)........it's extraordinary events like these which instill confidence in the impossible things that a mind can dream and achieve.

....and if you still ain't convinced that he is human, then just ask Sheryl Crow !