Peak conditioning in cycling

An interesting article on the effect of conditioning on the Tour de France by Chris Carmichael, Lance Armstrong's coach. In it he contends that Iban Mayo peaked too soon and Jan Ullrich is peaking too late. Lance, of course, in Carmichael's estimation, is peaking at the exact right time. Hard to argue, at this point.
 
Some people criticize Lance because he basically trains year-round for the Tour de France. However, cycling has produced such elite athletes that you have to prepare all year and peak at the right time if you want to win a particular event. Lance has done this consistently. Sure, he trains mmostly for it, but, on the other hand, he's facing greater competition than at any time in history. He has surely earned a place among cycling's greatest.
 
Does this peak performance issue apply in sports with seasons, like basketball or football? I wonder...