Updates

By Sarah Friedman

Famous Last Words
After working out the rudder glitches that prematurely ended their initial foray onto the high seas ("Tell Us Now the Saga of the Self-Styled Viking," July 1998), W. Hodding Carter and his crew of nine docked their 54-foot replica of an early Norse cargo ship in L'Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland, on September 22, having completed their re-creation of the epic journey Leif Eriksson undertook from Greenland to Vinland 1,000 years ago. "Just write something like 'against all odds, the heroes triumphed,'" instructs Carter. "Of course, we had to pay our dues to the Viking gods. I suffered, and I suffered loudly." The intrepid captain says he's eager to retire the odoriferous wool tunic and drawstring pants he wore for all 87 days of the voyage and get out of the expedition business. "I don't want to do any more adventures. Ever."

Road-Racing Rebound
"I'm attempting one of the biggest comebacks, if not the biggest comeback, in the history of sport," Lance Armstrong told us of his return to competitive cycling after battling testicular cancer that metastasized to his brain ("Tour de Revenge," April 1998). Judging by Armstrong's recent trio of performances — fourth-place finishes in the Tour of Holland on August 27, the prestigious Vuelta de Espa˜a on September 27, and the time trial and road race at October's World Championships in the Netherlands — such boasting may be in order. Surprisingly, the Texan cyclist seems to feel that his diagnosis and treatment may have paved the way for his return by mellowing him out. "The illness was traumatic, but it was also relaxing," he says. "It's the first time in my life that I wasn't in a hurry."