The Official le Tour de France - Go Lance Thread

[OutletPass]

Lance extended his lead over Jan in Today's all-imortant tme trial....he's all But sewed up his 5th consecutive tour win by finishing 3rd in todays stage.

The time trial was held in a heavy rain and Ullrich crashed. Tyler Hamilton, once again, had a GREAT ride and moved up to fourth in the overall standings. i'd hate to think of where he's be IF he hadn't broken hi collarbone early in the Tour. Just flat amazing.

Top 10 Overall After Stage 19
After the 19th stage of the centenary Tour de France, the top 10 in the overall classification is:
1. Lance Armstrong (USA) USP
2. Jan Ullrich (Germany) TBI at 1'16"
3. Alexandre Vinokourov (Kazakhstan) TEL at 4'29"
4. Tyler Hamilton (USA) CSC at 6'32"
5. Haimar Zubeldia (Spain) EUS at 7'06"
6. Iban Mayo (Spain) EUS at 7'21"
7. Ivan Basso (Italy) FAS at 10'12"
8. Christophe Moreau (France) C.A at 12'43"
9. Carlos Sastre (Spain) CSC) at 18'49"
10. Francisco Mancebo (Spain) BAN at 19'30"


News report to follow.

Go Junior !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ride for five, baby !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!

[OutletPass]

Armstrong outduels Ullrich in time trial

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Associated Press


NANTES, France -- Lance Armstrong all but locked up a record-tying fifth Tour de France title in a drama-packed time trial Saturday by finishing ahead of rival Jan Ullrich, who fell. The race's final stage Sunday in Paris is traditionally a ceremonial ride where no one challenges the overall lead. So barring disaster, Armstrong will match Miguel Indurain's record of five consecutive victories in cycling's most prestigious event. Armstrong smiled broadly and thrust a clenched right fist into the air as he powered to the finish of the rain-soaked time trial covering 30.4 miles.

The 31-year-old Texan finished third in the 19th stage, 11 seconds ahead of Ullrich, the 1997 Tour champion whose rivalry with Armstrong made this year's race one of the most gripping in years. But Ullrich now appears destined to be the runner-up in the overall standings for the fifth time. The German entered Saturday trailing Armstrong by 65 seconds. That deficit forced Ullrich to take risks. And his challenge effectively ended when he slipped negotiating a turn on the course from the Atlantic coast port of Pornic to the western town of Nantes.

He hit the ground heavily, sliding across the road. Ullrich hopped on his bike but never really got back his rhythm and concentration. By the end, Armstrong's overall lead had grown to 76 seconds -- by far the closest margin since he began his streak of Tour victories in 1999 after overcoming cancer.
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--- big props to Jan...he and Lance made the 100th Tour de France something to remember !!!!!!!!!!!

[ZueriMav]

Congrats to Lance. Ulle gave him a real fight!!!

I look forward to seeing them both again next year.

Lance has got his fifth win and Jan is BACK!!!!!




____________
GO MAVS

[dallas_esq]

The rain! Unbelievable. I wonder what would have happened had there been no rain. Congratulations Lance. BTW, I think people should challenge on the last day if possible, enough with the ceremony and politeness. I thought this was a race.

[Chiwas]

Congratulations to Lance.

Ullrich has to be very proud too about this race. He made it very competitive against a monster Armstrong.

Aren't 5 winnings the record for the Tour?

If they are, next year is going to be even better.

[OutletPass]

Chi.....Lance tied Miguel Indurain for the record this year...5 CONSECUTIVE WINS...here's a more detailed report that will explain much more....
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Armstrong Just a Short Ride Through Paris From 5th Victory
By SAMUEL ABT

ANTES, France, July 26 -- Lance Armstrong did it.

Riding in heavy rain on a slick course studded with traffic circles and some tight curves, the American leader of the United States Postal Service team played it comparatively safe and sewed up his fifth successive victory in the Tour de France today. "It was extremely dangerous,’’ he said after he finished the 49-kilometer (30-mile) individual time trial in third place. "And it wasn’t necessary for me to take any risks.’’ That was because his closest rival, Jan Ullrich, the German leader of the Bianchi team, skidded and crashed at a left turn on the treacherous road and lost a dozen seconds, more than twice his lead on Armstrong at that point in the time trial. Shaken, the German turned prudent and lost even more time.

"When I heard that Ullrich fell,’’ Armstrong explained, "I said, ‘Take it easy. Ride safely.’’’ His team officials relayed that news to him by radio to the earpiece he wears in races. He coasted the rest of the way around obstacles, relinquishing any chance of overtaking the stage winner, David Millar, a Scot with Cofidis. Before he started slowing, the American was a few seconds ahead of Millar’s pace.

But Armstrong did not need to win this next-to-last stage before the Centennial Tour ends in Paris on Sunday. "I was not desperate for a stage victory,’’ he said at a news conference. "I simply wanted to get to the line in one piece and preserve the overall victory.’’ In other words, his main goal was to protect his lead of 1 minute 5 seconds over Ullrich. That he did, even increasing it to 1:16, the tightest finish by six minutes since Armstrong began his comeback from cancer with victory in the 1999 Tour.

"This was absolutely my most difficult year,’’ Armstrong said. "And this victory is the most satisfying.’’

The fifth victory matches those of the great Tour champions of the past: Jacques Anquetil, who won in 1957 and 1961 through 1964; Eddy Merckx, who won from 1969 through 1972 and then in 1974; Bernard Hinault, who won in 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982 and 1985, and Miguel Indurain, who won from 1991 through 1995.

When the ceremonial 20th stage ends on Sunday, Alexandre Vinokourov, a Kazakh with Telekom, will be third, 4:29 behind. Fourth will be Tyler Hamilton, the American leader of CSC, who has been riding for three weeks with a double fracture of his right collarbone. Hamilton finished second today, nine seconds behind Millar on the course from Pornic on the Atlantic inland to Nantes, one of the six stops in the first Tour in 1903. His performance vaulted Hamilton from sixth place to fourth over all.

Armstrong was 14 seconds behind in third place, with Ullrich an additional 11 second behind in fourth place. Millar, who has been plagued throughout his career by injuries and accidents, was timed in 54 minutes 5 seconds, a speed of 54.361 kilometers an hour, just behind Greg LeMond’s record of 54.545 k.p.h. when that American won the 1989 Tour by eight seconds in a race against the clock on the last day. Despite a strong tailwind, the Scot’s time was notable because he was among more than half a dozen riders who crashed today. "It was a skating rink,’’ he said of the slippery roads.

"I’m on a cloud,’’ he added. "I’ve suffered so much for a week and now I’m so happy.’’ A specialist in time trials, he was on his way to victory in the Tour’s prologue on July 5 when his bicycle malfunctioned and he lost enough time to finish second by hundredths of a second.

Armstrong rode the entire course this morning to get a feel for it in the downpour and gusty winds that lashed western France all day. Huge crowds turned out with umbrellas to watch the final leaders leave three minutes apart. He said that he was apprehensive between the reconnaissance and his start as the last of 148 men left in the race. "I tried to take a nap, but I couldn’t sleep,” he said. “I was very nervous.’’

Despite the dangers of the course, he noted that he was pleased it was raining and cool. "When I woke up and saw it was 19 degrees and raining, I was much happier than when it was 40 degrees at the first time trial.’’ Those centigrade figures translate to 67 degrees and 104 degrees Fahrenheit. He finished second to Ullrich by more than a minute in the first race against the clock. Nevertheless, he continued, the rain and wind were problems.

"Both wheels were sliding at times,’’ he said of his bicycle during the race. "It’s a very fine line between sliding and crashing. I’m relieved to have made it through a very dangerous time trial. "It wasn’t necessary for me to take any risks. With more than a minute advantage, it’s not my responsibility to take risks. It was Ullrich’s responsibility to take risks.’’ The German did just that, starting rapidly and building a six-second lead with four kilometers gone. Knowing he had that 1:05 to overcome, he cut corners sharply and zoomed around the traffic circles.

Armstrong, meanwhile, was more cautious. When he began to turn left at the roundabout where he went down, Ullrich’s bicycle suddenly slipped. He and the bicycle fell to the ground and skidded across the road. He remounted and continued at a more conservative pace, knowing that his challenge had ended with his loss of time. This will be his fifth second-place finish in the Tour to go with a victory in 1997. Armstrong has now finished just ahead of him three times.

The Texan praised his rival afterward. "He gave us a lot of problems,’’ he said. "He’s still the biggest challenger. "I like Jan a lot and nobody makes me more motivated. He’s a great champion.’’


---Go Junior !!!! Six will do the trick !!!!!!!!!!!

[Drbio]

I knew in my bones that he would win #5. I am going out on the limb early to say he comes back next year with a vengeance and wins #6 going away. Not even close. 5-7 minute range type stuff.


Congrats Lance!!!!! The 2003 Tour de Lance is complete.

[MFFL]

Congrats Lance

[Murphy3]

it just shows you how great the state of texas is....producing one of the greatest cyclists in the history of ever...

[dude1394]

Originally posted by: dallas_esq
The rain! Unbelievable. I wonder what would have happened had there been no rain. Congratulations Lance. BTW, I think people should challenge on the last day if possible, enough with the ceremony and politeness. I thought this was a race.

I respectfully disagree. Waiting for the leaders when someone crashes or has a flat tire, taking the last day to get the cheers they all deserve and let the competitiveness dissolve into friendship. Quite honorable, noble and stately. One of my favorite parts of the tour.

[dude1394]

Congratulations Jan, very classy, he would have been wonderful champion.

Congratulations Lance, unbelievable dedication to excellence.

And it must be said in that Will Farrell method mocking bush...

"Don't mess with texas". Congratulations to all the wonderful competitors and fans. Wow...

[dallas_esq]

Lance! He's my brother. Don't you EVER mess with Texas Biatch!

[Linde]

what a great tour
congrats lance
congrats ulle
but also congrats to vino, tyler and all the others

and get well soon uwe peschel
he crashed twice and finished the tt 3:30 min behind the winner with 2 broken ribs and only half of his lung working

[MavKikiNYC]

Very pleased for Lance. Has to be all the more satisfying after a tough year. Hope he can take some time off, relax and rebound and come back next year for Number 6.

Vive Le Lance.

[OutletPass]

The final stage is now over...Lance just won his 5th consecutive riding into history...in the 100th Tour De france....is this GREAT ...or what !!!!

Rest up junior !!! Six will do the trick !!!!

Props to all the competitors.

[u2sarajevo]

Top ten from todays final stage:

1 219 NAZON Jean-Patrick FRA DEL in 3h 38' 49"
2 093 COOKE Baden AUS FDJ at 00' 00"
3 141 MC EWEN Robbie AUS LOT at 00' 00"
4 116 PAOLINI Luca ITA QSD at 00' 00"
5 125 HUSHOVD Thor NOR C.A at 00' 00"
6 127 O'GRADY Stuart AUS C.A at 00' 00"
7 029 ZABEL Erik GER TEL at 00' 00"
8 168 VAINSTEINS Romans LAT CAL at 00' 00"
9 056 GLOMSER Gerrit AUT SAE at 00' 00"
10 186 NAZON Damien FRA BLB at 00' 00"

Top ten overall after todays stage:

1 001 ARMSTRONG Lance USA USP in 83h 41' 12"
2 131 ULLRICH Jan GER TBI at 01' 01"
3 028 VINOKOUROV Alexandre KAZ TEL at 04' 14"
4 071 HAMILTON Tyler USA CSC at 06' 17"
5 179 ZUBELDIA Haimar ESP EUS at 06' 51"
6 171 MAYO Iban ESP EUS at 07' 06"
7 081 BASSO Ivan ITA FAS at 10' 12"
8 121 MOREAU Christophe FRA C.A at 12' 28"
9 078 SASTRE Carlos ESP CSC at 18' 49"
10 031 MANCEBO Francisco ESP BAN at 19' 15"

Lance has won his fifth yellow jersey. Congrats to him most of all, but hats off to Jan who gave it his best, despite the crash during yesterdays time trial. This has been a tough one for Lance, but he won despite all the distractions and challenges.

Up next? Rest and relaxation. Not to mention partying. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

About next year, after stage 19 yesterday Lance had this to say:

"I'll be back next year, and I'm not coming back to be second,
but hopefully to come back to the level I was in the first four Tours."

Well Lance, you can bet we will all be pulling for you.

[OutletPass]

My final report...

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Armstrong wins 5th straight Tour de France
07/28/2003

Associated Press


PARIS – Sipping champagne to celebrate his victory, Lance Armstrong won his hardest but sweetest Tour de France title Sunday – a record-tying fifth straight win that places him alongside the greatest cyclists in the sport. The 31-year-old cancer survivor and Spanish great Miguel Indurain are now the only two riders to win the sport's most grueling and prestigious race five times straight – a record Armstrong plans to break next year.

Savoring his feat on a largely processional final stage past distinguished Paris landmarks, Armstrong sipped from a flute of champagne and toasted his achievement with a "cheers!" as he rode, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey that he had so ardently coveted. "It's incredible to win again," the Texan said.

The indefatigable Armstrong overcame illness, crashes, dehydration, team and equipment problems and uncharacteristic bad days during the 23-day, 3,427.5-kilometer (2,125-mile) clockwise slog around France to win by his smallest-ever margin - just 61 seconds over five-time runner-up Jan Ullrich of Germany. Armstrong, who had never before won by less than six minutes, said his fifth title was "definitely the hardest" but "feels better" than the previous four, when he demoralized rivals by dominating in lung-burning mountain ascents and super-speedy time trials.

A staunch perfectionist, Armstrong said the closeness of the victory was already motivating him to come roaring back in 2004. "The other years I won by six, seven minutes. I think it makes it more exciting and sets up an attempt for number six," he said. "Before the Tour started I was very confident about winning. But before next year's Tour, I won't be so confident."

The intense rivalry between Armstrong and Ullrich, the 1997 Tour winner, turned 'Le Tour' into a gripping festival of cycling after four years when Armstrong was so strong that he was all but assured of victory days before the finish on the Champs-Elysees. But this year, the Texan only sewed up his win in a rain-soaked time trial Saturday, the penultimate day, when he managed to stay upright on the slippery road while Ullrich skidded and crashed, ending a squarely fought duel to erase Armstrong's slim lead.

So action-packed was this Tour that Armstrong was prepared even Sunday, on the largely processional final stage, for the unexpected. "If a plane landed in the race I wouldn't be surprised," he said before setting off from the Paris suburb of Ville d'Avray on the 152-kilometer (92.4 mile) ride through streets packed with cheering spectators.

Armstrong, who underwent surgery and stomach-wrenching chemotherapy to cure him of testicular cancer diagnosed in 1996 that that had spread to his lungs and brain, said his hard Tour battle had humbled him. "It makes me appreciate this victory and the other victories more because you realize the best form and the best conditioning are not a given," said Armstrong, who favors the Tour above all other races and prepares meticulously for it.

Aside from Armstrong and Indurain, just three other riders have won the Tour five times, but not consecutively. They are Belgium's Eddy Merckx, and Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault. If Armstrong does not win a record sixth title, the question of who is the best will long be debated.

"Armstrong's courageous, a fighter. Somebody who perseveres until the end," said Hinault, whose wins came in 1978-1979, 1981-1982 and 1985. "You have to do like him to beat him. He's certainly a star, but I don't know if he's a superstar. It's a new generation of riders. They have radios, they work more closely in teams. It's a different era," he said.

Indurain said he still views Merckx as the greatest. "He competed in virtually every cycling competition, whereas Armstrong really only focuses on the Tour," he told the AP.

The Spaniard, who held the Tour in an iron grip from 1991-1995, said Armstrong would be hard-pressed to win six. "Of course it's possible. But every year it gets more difficult, and he'll face some tough rivals," he said. Ullrich, returning from two knee operations and a ban for taking amphetamines in a disco, came into the Tour saying he did not expect to win. But as it became evident that Armstrong was not at his best, the German and other key rivals pressured the Texan as never before, attacking him relentlessly on grueling mountain stages in the Alps and Pyrenees.

Ullrich was most devastating in a time trial July 18, when he sliced a whopping 96 seconds off Armstrong, who had never before been beaten by the German in the race against clock at the Tour before this year. Armstrong wilted in scorching heat that day in the sun-roasted south of France, hanging grimly onto second place but losing about 5 kilograms (11 pounds) in weight through dehydration. It was a crucial mistake that prompted speculation that at 31, he was too old to win again.

But Armstrong stormed back three days later on a mist-shrouded 13.4-kilometer (8.3-mile) ascent to the Pyrenean ski station of Luz-Ardiden, one of the Tour's hardest climbs. Armstrong recovered from a fall, caused by a spectator's outstretched bag that caught his handlebars, to roar past Ullrich, who sportingly waited for him to get back on his bike. Other than a victory in the team time trial with his U.S. Postal Service squad, it was Armstrong's only stage win of this Tour and marked a turning point. From then on, Ullrich was chasing Armstrong's lead.

"At the start of the climb, I knew that that was where I needed to win the Tour," Armstrong said. "At the finish I was confident that that was enough." Armstrong said that in previous years, his preparations for the following Tour begin almost straight after his victory celebrations. Not this year.

"This Tour took a lot out of me," he said. "I need to step back from cycling and from the races and relax a little bit and focus on 2004 in due time."

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Hated to see Hinault's and Indurain's comments - Sour grapes smell pretty bad at a time like this.

it was a fantastic, gripping tour with Ulle and Lance going at it in the 100th tour. Both should be praised by the "old guard" legends. Ulle and Lance are both Superstars. Expect more SHITE from Indurian if Lance breaks their tie and wins his 6th next year.

[Novice#41]

congrats to lance !

but also congrats to jan and vino ! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]




Armstrong acts for Franco-American relations
Posted: Sunday July 27, 2003 12:50 PM

PARIS (Reuters) - Lance Armstrong's fifth Tour victory was the hardest by far but also the sweetest in terms of his popularity on the roads of France.

The Texan, a personal friend of U.S. President George W. Bush, had not exactly been France's most-loved athlete in recent years and was booed on the climb to the Mount Ventoux last year.

But despite Franco-American tensions over the Iraq war, there was no animosity whatsoever from the crowds this year and fans seemed won over by Armstrong's struggling and suffering in this year's race.

The American, who made himself available to sign autographs and always spoke a few words on French television at the end of stages, said he had felt the difference.

"There were a lot of American flags this year. They scream and it's a French person -- Allez Lance!

"It's a little bit strange, but it happened many times," he said.

"There were lots of Americans on the side of the road and you can hear them too. I can't complain on what kind of support it is, it's much appreciated."

Armstrong, who has a bodyguard during the Tour, said that he was glad to be able to help improve the peculiar relationship between the two countries.

"In the times of Franco-American tension, it's great that Americans come to this country and stand on the side of the road, go to hotels and restaurants, drink their wine, visit and support the country because of the great riders," he said.

Armstrong had been awarded the infamous lemon prize as the most unpleasant rider in the bunch by Tour photographers two years ago.

This time, he received the orange prize as the nicest rider to work with, a spectacular change in his perception by both fans and the French media.

i'm still impressed that an american speaks french that well [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]...



cheers lance ! [img]i/expressions/wine.gif[/img]

[Chicago JK]

From the better half Vescey
*************************
Armstrong Wins One for a Club of Millions
By GEORGE VECSEY


ANCE ARMSTRONG has joined an exclusive club. He is now one of five cyclists to have won the Tour de France five times.

But Armstrong's favorite club has a much larger constituency - the 9 million people who have survived cancer. He considers the disease a blessing, for it made him appreciate every day that he is alive.

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First and foremost, he links himself with the children who faded away before his eyes, the adults who did not make it, the people who are given no promises. He rides for all of them.

Factor out the cancer, and Armstrong is still a formidable human being - brash, opinionated, impulsive, strong, caring, tough, smart.

He survived the 23-day clockwise ride around France, in brutal heat and lashing rain. He survived two spills, which sent him sprawling onto the unforgiving pavement. He overcame the challenge from Jan Ullrich of Germany. He made millions of correct decisions that led to a 61-second victory, the narrowest of his five triumphs.

The celebration of this great athletic feat comes back to Lance Armstrong having been found to have cancer of the testicle, lungs and brain in 1996, going through two operations and four rounds of chemotherapy.

"Incredible, awesome, remarkable," his personal coach and good friend, Chris Carmichael, said yesterday by cell phone from the Champs-Élysées in Paris. In the background, you could hear the cheers at the finish line.

These words take on a special meaning for the nucleus of Armstrong's friends and family, who were there on Oct. 2, 1996, when "I almost died and possibly even did die a little, but then I got pitched back into the world of the living," as he describes it in his new book, "Every Second Counts," with Sally Jenkins, to be published by Broadway Books in October.

"Once you figure out you're going to live, you have to decide how to, and that's not an uncomplicated manner," Armstrong added. "You ask yourself: now that I know I'm not going to die, what will I do? What's the highest and best use of my self?"

He answered his question: "For me, the best use of myself has been to race in the Tour de France, the most grueling sporting event in the world."

The Tour is also one of the most beautiful spectacles in the world. The televised aerial shots of cyclists making a serpentine climb on a narrow mountain switchback take your breath away. From a height, the garish team colors blend into kaleidoscopic beauty.

The other cyclists are not known as cancer survivors, but they have epic adventures of their own. Tyler Hamilton of Marblehead, Mass., went down on the first full stage, 22 days ago, suffering a V-shaped crack in his collarbone. Somehow, he finished fourth in this Tour. Even the hard-working domestiques are admirable, as their thighs churn all the way around France, making life easier for their leaders.

Lance Armstrong was always the central figure of this great race, particularly once he re-claimed the yellow jersey worn by the leader. The French used to scorn him because they felt he lacked panache, the style, the spirit, of their last great champion, Bernard Hinault, who also won it five times.

The French newspapers and courts and cycling officials and public spread unsupportable gossip that Armstrong had some chemical advantage. They could not accept that a cancer survivor could win Tour after Tour.

Yesterday, during the ceremonial tour of Paris, somebody handed Armstrong a glass of Champagne. He jauntily hoisted it toward one of the ubiquitous television cameras on a motorcycle and said, "Cheers, France." The wiry Texan has finally achieved panache.

The five Tours have not come without their toll. After a brief separation earlier this year, his wife, Kristin, was present with their three children at the finish line yesterday. In his new book, Armstrong talks with respect about his wife's Roman Catholic faith, but admits he is more comfortable with the medical science that saved his life. His life may become more complicated now that he has dismounted from his bike.The ways of the Tour are at least familiar. When a spectator's plastic bag caught Armstrong's handlebar last week, sending him to the pavement, the leaders slowed down to wait for him to recover, one of the arcane niceties of the sport. Champion that he is, Armstrong got off the ground in a fury to catch up.

He also showed the patience of a champion. In the time trial on Saturday, Armstrong took no chances in the hard rain, knowing Ullrich would have to literally cut corners to have any chance.

"When you're ahead by a minute, it seems so small," Carmichael was saying yesterday. "But when you're behind by a minute, it feels like an eternity."

Ullrich skidded on the wet pavement and Armstrong stayed up. He is a survivor. Through his Lance Armstrong Foundation, he tries to pass on the discipline and the hope of surviving a vicious disease.

His story as a cancer survivor is as visible as the yellow jersey in the pack of cyclists.

"He says he will go for six," Carmichael reported yesterday after greeting his old friend at the finish line.

Over the weekend, the great Hinault, now an official with the Tour, personally welcomed Armstrong to "the club." Armstrong said it still had not sunk in that he had joined the four other champions.

His main club consists of 9 million other cancer survivors. He wears the yellow jersey for them.

[MavKikiNYC]

Armstrong May Be Facing His Farewell Tour de France


Associated Press
The United States Postal Service has sponsored Lance Armstrong's team since late 1996. Its contract expires this year, putting his future in doubt.


By SAMUEL ABT

Published: March 28, 2004

GIRONA, Spain, March 24 — When Lance Armstrong announced a few weeks ago that he would ride in a new bicycle race in Colorado, the buzz started. After years of infrequent appearances in American races, Armstrong will race in the Tour of Georgia in April, then in the Rocky Mountain Classic in Colorado in September and, a week later, in the T-Mobile Classic in San Francisco.

Was this, fans wondered, a farewell tour for Armstrong on his native soil before he retired? Sitting in his home here this week as that question was put to him, Armstrong said he did not know.

"I'm not planning a farewell tour, but it could be a farewell tour," he said as he sat in the dining room of his spacious apartment. "It depends on how the Tour de France goes, how I feel after the Tour, how our search goes for a new title sponsor for this program."

The United States Postal Service has sponsored his team since late 1996 and its contract expires this year. "We don't know yet if they'll continue," he said. "They haven't decided. This will be close to 10 years of sponsorship, which is a long run in this sport."

In that time the Postal Service has seen the team rise from mediocrity to one that has supported Armstrong in his victories in the last five Tours de France. But critics wonder why the United States Postal Service pays $6 million to $7 million a year for a team of nearly 40 riders, officials, doctors, mechanics and masseurs who spend most of the season at European races. Why not, instead, lower the cost of a stamp?

In response, Postal Service officials in Washington cite worker morale — the identification that the average postal worker makes with Armstrong and his teammates as they sweep to victory, year after year, in the world's most publicized bicycle race.

If the United States Postal Service does not extend its contract for at least a year and if another sponsor cannot be found, Armstrong said, his future in the sport, at age 33 in September, is doubtful.

He has raced in the red, white and blue colors of the Postal Service team since 1998, the beginning of his comeback two years after a diagnosis of testicular cancer that had spread to his brain and lungs. In 1999, Armstrong, a former specialist in one-day races, astonished bicycle fans by dominating the three-week Tour de France in the first of his five successive victories.

What does he think of his chances of winning it a record sixth time? None of the four other riders who has won five Tours — Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain — did it after age 31.

"I like my chances," Armstrong said. "Last year there was some bad luck, but there was some poor planning, poor preparation and, of course, circumstances."

Personal circumstances? — meaning his then-impending divorce and his separation from his twin daughters and son — or sporting circumstances? "All of the above," Armstrong said quickly. Then he thought about it.

"More sporting circumstances," he decided. "Crashes, distractions, equipment issues. But mostly I was too confident. Even with all this stuff going on, I was still sure I was going to succeed. I won't be that confident again. That Tour humbled me. I didn't feel the bullet, but I heard it. I heard it well."

His margin of victory in the 2003 Tour was barely above a minute, or five minutes less than usual.

Armstrong looked and sounded relaxed. He had spent part of the day on a training ride on the roads near Girona, in Catalonia, about 50 miles north of Barcelona, and was fresh from a massage in one of the apartment's four bedrooms. He shares his home and an adjacent apartment that he owns with his masseur, with his companion, Sheryl Crow, the folk-rock singer, and a friend from Texas, who handles some business dealings.

Because he met Crow last autumn after his marriage dissolved, she has not yet seen him in the Tour de France, she said. She seems not to be much of a bicycle racing fan, a fact that landed Armstrong in a mini-controversy.

"We were at a Los Angeles Lakers basketball game," he said, "and some journalist spotted us and asked Sheryl, `How are you on a bike?' And she said: `I don't ride a bike. I'm just looking for the Krispy Kreme stand.' Just a joke, but that started it."

Suddenly the Internet racing Web sites were flooded with complaints by fans that Armstrong should not be neglecting his training by eating doughnuts and staying up late at basketball games. When they were photographed at a movie premiere, the complaints increased.

Life in the spotlight with a celebrity like Crow is a new dimension, he said. "But the only thing I have to do is stay focused on my job, train, show up ready to win the Tour de France. And I'm doing that.

"I don't even like Krispy Kremes," Armstrong said. "I don't eat them. I like apple fritters."

Turning back to business, he predicted that "it will be a tough Tour."

"The Tour this year suits the climbers," he said, "because of the addition of the uphill time trial and the subtraction of a long flat time trial."

"Tyler will have a good Tour and Vino has certainly looked good so far," he said, referring to Tyler Hamilton, the American who was fourth last year, and Alexandre Vinokourov, the Kazakh who was third. "I don't know about Roberto," his former teammate Roberto Heras, a Spaniard, who is now a rival.

In all, he said, perhaps 10 riders could be considered contenders. First among them is Armstrong, of course, the defending champion. His morale is strong, he said, especially because he will return to his home in Austin, Tex., after a French race this weekend and see his three children for the first time in nearly two months.

"Life's good," he said. "It's very good. The only tough thing is missing the kids, and I'll see them pretty soon. The situation is a temporary one, of being separated from them months at a time" instead of having them live with him in Girona during the season as they used to do.

"When I retire eventually, my time with them will be much more consistent, much more predictable."

That will have a bearing on when he retires, he said. Until then, he is following his usual schedule of racing and training, with the emphasis on training in daily rides in the countryside around Girona.

[OutletPass]

This is a biased post, I'll admit. I've known and raced against (and gotten my old ass ground into dismal dirt by) "Junior..since he was 15 and I was 38. Lance was a GREAT triathlete at that age...he literally blew away the best of the best on the short courses...(Olympic distance) ...Biking aside, Lance could run and he could swim.

Junior is one cocky son of a b*tch, I'll admit...to the point of being obnoxious...and, even though he went through testicular cancer almost to death, and a horrible divorce, i'll bet a lot of that remains.

Lance will ALWAYS have something to prove...and you can bet on that....If he's too costly for the "Post Toasties", that's ok. If the US Government thinks that money out doesn't equal money in, that's ok. Doesn't matter. I'll bet that Lance gets six this year...and comes back for more with a Euro team.

Put money on it. Junior is freaking driven for more and more and more.

It's his 14 year old mind with the most incredible engine that you could ever imagine.

If he's in the race, always bet on Lance...

(No offense to the Jan Ulrich Fans)

[Drbio]

The Tour de Lance will enter its' sixth consecutive year this year. It will be amazing and likely never repeated.

[Caliente]

The Tour de France starts tomorrow. Bring It On..................[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

[twelli]

This could be the closest race between Lance and Jan ever. Jan is in better form than in previous years (won the Tour de Suisse) and Lance has some troubles of his own (or is it just bluffing?). It will be exciting to see if Lance can become the first 6-time Tour de France winner or Jan finally beats his bitter rival.

[ames7]

LAF is sending an RV to follow Lance on the Tour this year. My boss is going for the last week, I am so insanely jealous.

Shameless plug time. Support Lance & the LAF: buy your $1 LiveStrong wristbands at wearyellow.com today. All proceeds to toward Lance Armstrong Foundation programs supporting young people living with cancer. Vive Lance!

[fabolous]

Sorry, I really can't stand Lance Armstrong...
I hope that Jan Ullrich can win this year!

Let's Go Jan! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

[twelli]

First Day:

Lance 15 seconds faster than Jan.

[Murphy3]

That is absolutely a HUGE time difference for the first day between Lance and Jan.

[twelli]

The first-day result probably doesn't reflect accurately the current form of these two drivers since the course was at times dangerous and had a lot of turns, which didn't favor Ullrich. On the other hand it is a huge psychological advantage for Armstrong after poor results prior to the tour. Now he probably will lead Ullrich for the next week or so before the race starts in earnest in the mountains.

[dude1394]

I thought the race was front loaded with mountains this year. In fact it looked like a mountain trip tommorrow.

[Fidel]

Originally posted by: dude1394
I thought the race was front loaded with mountains this year. In fact it looked like a mountain trip tommorrow.

Nope. The first real hard mountain stage is stage 10 with the Col du pas de Peyrol. The first mountain finish will be stage 12 that ends at La Mongie and also features the Col d`Aspin. The first stage with an "Hore Category" (spl?) mountain will be stage 13 that ends in a mountain finish at the Plateau de Beille (HC) and also features the Col D`Agnes. The remaining hard mountain stages are stage 15 with the Col de Echarasson, the time trial to Alpe D`Huez (HC) at stage 16 and then stage 17 with the Col du Glandon, Col de la Madelaine (HC) and Col de la Croix Fry. The hardest of those stages are probably 13, 16 and 17 but all the others I mentioned could also decide the outcome of the tour (along with the flat time trials).


As for the prologue. I wouldn´t read too much in it as far as Armstrong vs. Ullrich goes cause the course was very unrythmic with alot of curves which heavily favors Armstrong and his riding Style. But of course Armstrong is the favourite. It´s pretty hard to make a guess about Ullrichs form this year. He was fat all spring. He recently won the Tour de Suisse but actually he got lucky there cause alot of the other favourites lost around 5 mins when the peloton splitted at an early flat stage. I think Armstron will win it again but of course I´m rooting for Ullrich.


Go Ulle !!!


Edit: Forgot to mention one major factor in this years tour. Winokurov who finished third last year couldn´t start because of an injury. That was a major blow to Team T-Mobile and Ullrich. A one two punch of Ullrich and Winokurov (2nd and 3rd last year overall) would have helped alot to put pressure on Armstrong. Another hopeful rider who is missing the tour because of an injury is germany´s Joerg Jaksche. He won Paris-Nizza this year and was in very good shape. He would have been co-captain of the belgian team CSC and I think he could have finished in the top 10. Both riders are injured due to crashes.

[Waschdel]

Nope. The first real hard mountain stage is stage 10 with the Col du pas de Peyrol. The first mountain finish will be stage 12 that ends at La Mongie and also features the Col d`Aspin. The first stage with an "Hore Category" (spl?) mountain will be stage 13 that ends in a mountain finish at the Plateau de Beille (HC) and also features the Col D`Agnes. The remaining hard mountain stages are stage 15 with the Col de Echarasson, the time trial to Alpe D`Huez (HC) at stage 16 and then stage 17 with the Col du Glandon, Col de la Madelaine (HC) and Col de la Croix Fry. The hardest of those stages are probably 13, 16 and 17 but all the others I mentioned could also decide the outcome of the tour (along with the flat time trials).


As for the prologue. I wouldn´t read too much in it as far as Armstrong vs. Ullrich goes cause the course was very unrythmic with alot of curves which heavily favors Armstrong and his riding Style. But of course Armstrong is the favourite. It´s pretty hard to make a guess about Ullrichs form this year. He was fat all spring. He recently won the Tour de Suisse but actually he got lucky there cause alot of the other favourites lost around 5 mins when the peloton splitted at an early flat stage. I think Armstron will win it again but of course I´m rooting for Ullrich.


Go Ulle !!!


Edit: Forgot to mention one major factor in this years tour. Winokurov who finished third last year couldn´t start because of an injury. That was a major blow to Team T-Mobile and Ullrich. A one two punch of Ullrich and Winokurov (2nd and 3rd last year overall) would have helped alot to put pressure on Armstrong. Another hopeful rider who is missing the tour because of an injury is germany´s Joerg Jaksche. He won Paris-Nizza this year and was in very good shape. He would have been co-captain of the belgian team CSC and I think he could have finished in the top 10. Both riders are injured due to crashes.[/quote]


Fidel - excellent analysis! Talking about hopeful riders who are missing the Tour Joseba Beloki shoud have been mentioned as well. After his crash in the last year he could not get in shape and had trouble with his new team.
What do you think of the chances of pure mountain drivers like Iban Mayo and Roberto Heras? I think that the new Tour design favors these champs. The new rules for the team trial reduces the time that they lose to teams like US-Postal, T-Mobile and Phonak (they seem to be really strong) to a maximum of three minutes. Leblanc has already said, that this years tour design should keep the race open until the very end (or least until the long time trial the day before the last stage).
I am not that sure that Armstrong and Ulle are the only ones with a chance to win it all. Hamilton, Mayo and Heras need to be observed carefully. Lance is the one that has be beaten - no doubt about it. I hope that the temperatures rise. Ullrich needs the sun. Maybe his tendency to recover very fast cooperates with the design of this years tour that brings up the biggest difficulties in the third week. Can´t wait for the interesting stages in the mountains.

Go Ulle !!!

[Murphy3]

As for the prologue. I wouldn´t read too much in it as far as Armstrong vs. Ullrich goes cause the course was very unrythmic with alot of curves which heavily favors Armstrong and his riding Style. But of course Armstrong is the favourite. It´s pretty hard to make a guess about Ullrichs form this year. He was fat all spring. He recently won the Tour de Suisse but actually he got lucky there cause alot of the other favourites lost around 5 mins when the peloton splitted at an early flat stage. I think Armstron will win it again but of course I´m rooting for Ullrich.

That kinda goes against alot of what I've heard about the prologue. I am by no means an expert, but all reports that I've heard or read showed surprise that Armstrong beat Ullrich by such a large margin.

[Fidel]

Originally posted by: Murphy3

That kinda goes against alot of what I've heard about the prologue. I am by no means an expert, but all reports that I've heard or read showed surprise that Armstrong beat Ullrich by such a large margin.

Try to watch Armstrong and Ullrich at one of the upcoming time trials or at a mountain stage and you´ll easily see the difference in their riding styles. Armstrong often uses middle or small gears and rides with a high cadence (don´t know if that´s the right word. In german it´s called Kadenz. It basicly means the number of Rotations per Minute of the Pedals. Can´t explain it any better). Ullrich on the other hand prefers higher gears and a lower cadence (even on mountain stages). That is why Armstrong is having less trouble with alot of sudden speed changes while Ullrich prefers to ride a constant speed. A time trial that`s going 50 km straight would be the ideal course for Ullrich and he´d easily beat any other rider on such a course. The more curves and speed changes are featured in the course the smaller Ullrichs advantage becomes and at some point it becomes a disadvantage. Like I said the prologue was very curvy and unrythmic (part of because it had rained which required the drivers to be very carefull in curves) and under such circumstances Armstrong has to be favored cause it´s easier for him to gain momentum again after a curve. Maybe 15 seconds was a bit too much, but Ullrich also has the flu right now and you had to expect him to lose some time on Armstrong.


Waschdel thanks. Personally I think that Heras is done and won´t do much. Mayo could be dangerous or may any of the other Euskatel drivers as well as this years tour really plays into their strenghts. Hamilton defintly has a shot and maybe someone like Mancebo or Gonzales de Galdeano. But ultimatly I think this is Armstrongs tour to win and if anyone can challange him in the overall ranking it´s Ullrich. If Ullrich can´t keep up the tour will be decided by a large margin for Armstrong, at least that´s what I think. You need to have a very high talent plateau to win the tour and you also need to be in good shape. I think there will be noumerous drivers who are in good shape (and Armstrong will be one of those I´m sure, with Ullrich you never know), but I don´t see any other driver being on the same talent level as Armstrong or Ullrich. Maybe a young surprise rookie (like Ullrich in 96 when he finished second and could have easily beaten Riis and won the tour), that´s possible but very hard to predict.

[Drbio]

This is the third Tour that we have discussed here. Each and every time Lance has come through and won. He will do it again.

Viva La Lance!!!!

[digit]

Watch out for Team Euskatel with Mayo as the main threat in the mountains and Zubeldia as the dangerous joker. Most interesting to see will be Mayo pulling away from the pack. If Lance and Ulle hesitate and only watch out for each other...well, they are both in trouble...the mountain time-trial in Alpe d`Huez favors Mayo, too...
With the first team team-trial on Wednesday(?) the real Tour starts...

[twelli]

5 is the magic number for Tour de France wins. Nobody can win 6 times. It's like Wimbledon. Oh, wait, how often did Sampras win?

I would like Ulle to win. Finishing second again would suck. If Lance wins, he probably won't be back next year, if he loses, the rivalry between the two could continue.

Go Ulle!

[Waschdel]

Waschdel thanks. Personally I think that Heras is done and won´t do much. Mayo could be dangerous or may any of the other Euskatel drivers as well as this years tour really plays into their strenghts. Hamilton defintly has a shot and maybe someone like Mancebo or Gonzales de Galdeano. But ultimatly I think this is Armstrongs tour to win and if anyone can challange him in the overall ranking it´s Ullrich. If Ullrich can´t keep up the tour will be decided by a large margin for Armstrong, at least that´s what I think. You need to have a very high talent plateau to win the tour and you also need to be in good shape. I think there will be noumerous drivers who are in good shape (and Armstrong will be one of those I´m sure, with Ullrich you never know), but I don´t see any other driver being on the same talent level as Armstrong or Ullrich. Maybe a young surprise rookie (like Ullrich in 96 when he finished second and could have easily beaten Riis and won the tour), that´s possible but very hard to predict.[/quote]

Fidel - You´re probably right that Armstrong will be in a good shape when things start to get serious. He is the grandmaster of preparation and being focused. I think Ullrich will be fine as well. He´ll need some momentum like hot wheather or a weakness of his rival to get into a real combat-mood. It is kind of funny that Dirk and Ullrich seem to have comparable characters. Both of them are extremly talented but have a little lack of a "push-forward-mentality". Both of them have to straighten their situation because of the absence of a teammate. While Dirk is expected to take over now that Nash has left to Phoenix, Ulle is one that has to carry the load in the absence of Vinokourov who happens to be one of his friends (not only teammates). It will be interesting to see how they react.
I also agree with your thoughts concerning Mayo and Hamilton. They are probably in the best seats to be the laughing third. As far as I am informed there is no younger driver that could get really dangerous. Perhaps Menchov. Rogers is not in the shape of last year.
But there are so many unpredictable factors like crashes, injuries etc. And that is why the tour is so electrifiing besides one of the best sport-rivalries of our time.

[Fidel]

There was a mass crash or something like that today, I couldn´t watch it. But somehow the pack split (a little bit like what happened at Tour de Suisse I guess) and Mayo and other Euskatel drivers nearly lost nearly 4 mins. A couple riders from Credit Agricole were also involved. With Mayo now being out of contention the tour will be a little less exciting. Actually another good day for Armstrong as he lost one of his main rivals and he and his team can now concentrate on Ullrich and Hamilton.

[Waschdel]

Originally posted by: Fidel
There was a mass crash or something like that today, I couldn´t watch it. But somehow the pack split (a little bit like what happened at Tour de Suisse I guess) and Mayo and other Euskatel drivers nearly lost nearly 4 mins. A couple riders from Credit Agricole were also involved. With Mayo now being out of contention the tour will be a little less exciting. Actually another good day for Armstrong as he lost one of his main rivals and he and his team can now concentrate on Ullrich and Hamilton.

Exactly - there were two passages with cobble-stone pavement. Each of the better teams tried to get into a position on top of the peloton to avoid dangerous situations. Some kilometers before the first cobble-stone pavement sector there was a mass crash. Mayo and some other Euskatel-drivers were involved, while the peloton (with Armstrong, Ullrich and Hamilton) drove very fast. The Mayo-group was unable to pull up and lost even more time. In the end drivers like Mayo, Menchov and Hushovd lost 4 minutes. Erik Zabel finished at the second place. Teams like T-Mobile, US-Postal and Phonak worked very hard. That might influence the team-trial tomorrow.