Armstrong Return for Charity Casts Shadow on Tour de France

The fields rolled by, the dark glasses were again on his nose, and he was back riding in France.

It just wasn't quite like the good old—or to some, the bad old—days for Lance Armstrong.

The few autograph-seekers or roadside onlookers who came to see Armstrong ride the Tour de France route for charity was a testament that the 43-year-old Texan is far less the draw he once was before his seven Tour de France titles were stripped for doping.

Armstrong's presence was welcomed by some in the peloton as he rode, but openly criticized by more, particularly for taking the spotlight away from the race.