When Lance Armstrong is competing in the Tour de France, professional cycling becomes one of my favorite sports to follow. This year is especially exciting because Lance is making a huge comeback and he updates his Twitter constantly with interesting bits, including his favorite music choices for before and after the day’s stage. Here’s what a 7-time champion listens to during one of the most grueling competitions of the year:
1) Wilco
I’m surprised he hasn’t mentioned U2 yet because Bono and the Edge stopped by to personally wish him luck, but in the days prior to the race he was busy being “obsessed” with the new Wilco album, tweeting, “It’s on heavy rotation. At this rate, I’ll be burned out on it in a few days. Gotta back off a bit.”
2) Iron and Wine / Ryan Adams and the Cardinals
During post-race massages, Armstrong likes to mellow out to Iron and Wine. Love Is Hell era Ryan Adams is probably a little too intense for cooling down, as he decided to jam to Adams’ more hippie side after finishing in 2nd place in the overall standings in Barcelona.
3) Jeff Buckley
“Listening to Jeff Buckley,” Lance tweeted after his third (somber?) day climbing the Pyrenees.
4) Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones
I’m not a cyclist and I don’t listen to much Zeppelin, but I have to say that I would also choose that Zeppelin hits collection Mothership while trying to stay motivated for a 21-stage race. Also, Armstrong made this confession earlier today: “Relaxing in the room, listening to the Stones. I love my life but wouldn’t mind being Mick Jagger for a day. Know what I mean?” I’ll leave that one alone.
As of today, Armstrong is in 3rd place, only 8 seconds back from the leader, so keep an eye on his Twitter here for more playlist updates. Special thanks to this up-and-coming Cat 2 rider for the tips.