OPINION

By Sally Jenkins

Columnist

updated 1:41 a.m. ET July 10, 2009

Sally Jenkins Columnist

The e-mail that came from Lance Armstrong was cryptic, as always. "It's happening," he wrote.

By it, he meant everything: the fruition of his un-retirement, the promising liveliness in his legs, his menacing creep up the standings of the Tour de France, from 10th to second by a fraction, and the international frenzy he has caused by contending again at the age of almost 38.

"So what are you going to do next to electrify the world?" I asked. "Go over Niagara Falls in a barrel?" He'd probably race the water to the bottom.

"Ha," he replied.

In fact, the next thing Armstrong is likely to do is take the lead in the Tour. One thing I know about Armstrong, my friend and book collaborator of a decade now, is how much he loves a confrontation. Stage 7 of the Tour is shaping up as a major showdown, the first summit finish of the race, a steep climb through the Spanish Pyrenees to Arcalis, a ski resort in Andorra, and a moment of truth that will reveal whether he has the lungs and will to stay with Alberto Contador, his teammate and rival who is 11 years younger.

"I know Alberto wants to assert himself in the race," Armstrong told the press, and then went on to act rather fey, suggesting he doesn't know whether he can stay with him when they hit the climbs. Just watch.

A reflexive need for confrontation is an essential part of Armstrong's psychological equipment. He has always glared straight at any problem or opponent with those eyes like burning glass, the same color blue as a gas flame. It's the first thing I learned about him back in 1999, when we started working on the book, "It's Not About the Bike." His then-wife, Kristin, who remains his close friend and probably understands him better than anyone, gave me a piece of advice that remains the single most truthful thing I've ever heard said about him. "Don't corner him," she warned me. "If you corner him, he'll fight his way out."

With the beginning of the mountain climbs, Armstrong will confront one of his biggest fights, and biggest fears. Getting sick again is his worst fear — but cracking on a mountainside, while everyone else rides away, is right up there. It's why he used to swear that he was going to retire on top, that he would go out a winner in perpetuity. In every mountain stage, there is always some lonely figure whose body has failed, who struggles up the incline, just trying not to quit, miles behind the rest of the pack. "I don't want to be the guy left behind on the mountainside, who gets passed by," he used to say. "I'm not going to be that guy."

But when something bothers Armstrong, or scares him, he goes right at it. He doesn't like heights, but he used to jump off a cliff into a small lake in Dripping Springs, Tex. If someone makes him angry, he calls them up. I think maybe the only time I've seen him dodge a confrontation came with his kids. His tiny daughter Isabella dumped the entire contents of a toy chest on the floor, thousands of tiny little critters and creatures scattering about. "Aw Izzy," he said, weakly, in a tone I've never heard before or since, "please don't do that."

MORE FROM TOUR DE FRANCE

Tour de France Section Front

Contador defied all, including Lance Armstrong lambastes Contador on Twitter Contador's reign on Tour expected to last In his return, Lance shows a more human side Contador says he ‘never had admiration’ for Lance Astarloza facing 2-year ban after positive B test Opinion: When it counted, Armstrong came through NYT: In the end, France is in love with Lance Spanish Vuelta gets more TV coverage in US   Slideshow from the 2009 Tour de France Tour de France Section Front   Add Tour de France headlines to your news reader: