The real test of Armstrong’s relative purity is in the race results. No one has been tested more than he has; this year, he was singled out for a second pre-race test. And he’s never tested positive, and that includes EPO in the years that drug has been detectable.

Don’t think for a nanosecond that other racers haven’t taken substances that couldn’t be found by the chemists. But no one’s found anything that has made him capable of beating Armstrong. As long as everyone is tested for the same drugs, the playing field is as level as it can get.

That’s the best you can hope for in this world. You can’t apply today’s rules to yesterday’s performance.

Many of the French appreciate Armstrong’s greatness. But it’s likely that few were sad to see him retire. That’s natural. When the Yankees were winning three World Series in a row, we couldn’t wait for someone else to win, just for a change of pace.

The rest of the field had to be delighted to see him retire. Finally, someone else would get a chance to finish somewhere other than second.

Slide show: The Week in Sports Pictures   Oct. 3 - 9 Images from the baseball playoffs, NFL, college football, and more.

But if you appreciate greatness and competition, you should have wanted him to return, and not just to irritate France. As much as we admire the rare athlete who goes out on top, we thrill to watch an old champion trying to hang on to what he has for as long as he can.

If sports are a metaphor for life, then there’s something appropriate about a champion being beaten on the field instead of surrendering to age and ennui. Armstrong wasn’t handed the title; he won it. The next champ should have to take it from Armstrong.

Winning without Armstrong in the field will be a great achievement; the Tour de France remains a grueling and unforgiving test of will and endurance. But it can’t be the same as beating him head-to-head, wheel-to-wheel.

Now we'll never know.