Not so retro in fact. Trek Madones up to 2007 still had down-tube shifter mounts - I was riding one of those with a right-hand STI and left-hand down-tube shifter until a couple of years ago. This was the setup that Lance was still using on mountain stages until at least 2004, maybe still in 2005 also (you can see it in some of the old photos).

I still prefer a friction down-tube shifter to an indexed STI to control the front derailleur, but unfortunately don't have the mounts on my current frames. I therefore now have a bar-end shifter or Campagnolo Ergo left-hand lever, which work just as well and are easier to reach than the down-tube mounted version. The right-hand lever is always a Shimano STI though, so everyone thinks I'm a bit odd - and they are right.