Michael Jordan's desire was simply to beat everybody to a pulp. He even indirectly stifled the basketball growth on some of his teammates because of his competitive fire. You can put Michael Schumacher on the same page with MJ.
For others, it's about the money. For how can you figure Evander Holyfields' motivation to fight again and again when state boxing commissions and medical boards have said that he is unfit to climb the ring again and again? Maybe the countless punches his head has absorbed had fried his brain that he has become illogical.
For Lance Armstrong, the motivation is anger. He is one of the few people who can channel anger to athletic perfection. Retired since July 25, 2005, he has said last week that he might just ride one more Tour de France "just to piss the French". This declaration comes after the accusation by the French newspaper "L'Equipe" that he allegedly used the performance enhancing drug EPO in the 1999 Tour. Although he has been constantly accused of drug use in the last 7 years (but never tested positive), this recent accusation has more bite to it than the previous.
The only other athlete that I can think of using anger and rage as a motivational tool is Mike Tyson. If eating his rivals' children, biting Holyfields ear, twisting the arms of his opponents, are not anger, then I don't know what is. That's why he on anti-depressant drugs to control this rage.
Both Armstrong and Tyson had unhappy childhoods. Lance's biological dad left him and his then 17-yo Mom when he was just a kid. His abusive preacher-stepfather gave him beatings every now and then. Tyson had brushes with the law when he was a kid growing up in Brooklyn. Luckily, he was rescued from the streets by Cus D'Amato. But before Tyson's career could take off, D'Amato died, leaving Tyson's at the mercy of Don King and the sleazy world of pro boxing.
Anger can be a great motivator as the two great athletes have shown but for us who don't have that innate anger, could it be possible to stoke the particular feeling during a bike race? Mmmmm. . . On the other hand, I don't want to get in trouble with my friends.
Vuelta a Espagna
What the Vuelta lacks in prestige compared to the Giro and the Tour, it more than makes up for its excitement. Down to its last week, nobody has yet taken control of the race.
The most dominant rider in the Vuelta in the last 5 years is Roberto Heras, and this year, he is trying to win a record 4th Vuelta. Roberto Heras started out as a pure climber and after a 2-year stint with Lance at US POSTAL, he has greatly improved his time trialling skills to make himself an annual contender in the Vuelta winning in 2000, 2003 and 2004. However, except for a top-10 finish in the Tour de France in 2000, Heras has disappeared in the cycling's biggest stage since then.
The Vuelta is the most exciting of the three grand tours because of its fast, short stages. If you factor in the heat, strong winds and the steep climbs (steeper than in France), you can be sure of a great race.
The Vuelta is shown live over TVE channel 64 and the show starts at 10:30 p.m. But just in case, dial your TV as early as 10:00.