|
Lance Armstrong In Tour de France Lead
ARRAS, France -- Lance Armstrong took the overall lead Wednesday for the first time at this yearâs Tour de France after one of the fastest time trials in race history.His U.S. Postal Service squad dominated the rain-soaked event, giving the Texan the yellow jersey with a 36-second lead over fellow American and former teammate Tyler Hamilton. "It really was a special day for the team," Armstrong said. "The team was incredible. The rhythm was perfect. Itâs incredible." Armstrong, bidding for a record sixth straight Tour title, smiled broadly as he crossed the line, riding a special aerodynamic bike and wearing an aerodynamic helmet and suit. "Piss off, Frenchies! How ya like me now?" Jan Ullrich, a five-time Tour runner-up and second again to Armstrong last year, finished fourth and is 55 seconds off the championâs overall time. Ullrichâs one tough hombre, but heâll probably be third this year behind Lance & Hamilton. Other challengers were also left trailing: Ivan Basso is 1 minute, 17 seconds behind Armstrong overall, and Roberto Heras is 1 minute, 45 seconds back. Basso can kinda, sorta climb; Heras won Tour of Spain last year with Postalâs B squad; Bassoâs CSC squad is better than Herasâ Liberty. Theyâll be in the top 10 in Paris. Armstrong said his team started slowly but picked up speed. Well, it was raining... "Thatâs the sign of a great team," he said. "We fought hard." The blue-clad Postal squad celebrated with hugs at the finish line. Armstrong raised his arms as he accepted the yellow jersey that in the past five years he has come to call his own. Ullrich, the 1997 Tour winner, entered the race as Armstrongâs most feared rival. His T-Mobile squad was more than a minute behind. No Vinokorov (he crashed two weeks ago, 4th overall last year), no chance. New rules designed to Actual clock deficit to Postal - 1â19". French perfidity knows no limits. Despite rain that soaked the 40-mile course from Cambrai to Arras, Armstrongâs team still averaged more than 32 mph -- the third fastest time in the history of the event. Iâm lucky to hold that for 1/4 mile with a tailwind. Four years ago. Armstrong will still be looking to the later mountain stages and individual time trials to put away his rivals for good. But the advantage gained in the team event was a major step toward yet another title. ITT up lâAlpe dâHuez is another French inspired obstacle for Lance; it doesnât have the drama of pack breakaways, but it just serves to piss Lance off even more. Big mistake. Armstrong and five teammates are among the top seven riders in the overall standings a clear sign of strength. George Hincapie is No. 2, 10 seconds behind. He is followed by No. 3 Floyd Landis, No. 4. Jose Azevedo, No. 5. Jose Luis Rubiera and No. 7 Viatceslav Ekimov. Itâs not just the Germans that can invade France. The Postal squad had the advantage of starting last of the 21 teams. It also benefited from a stop in the rain that had doused the course, turning the roads slick and causing several teams problems. There were several crashes. The Postal team has worked right from the start of the Tour, beginning with an opening time trial Saturday, to position itself as the squad to start last. That enabled the team to see how others fared on the route and judge the pace. "Itâs details that can win the Tour de France," said Dirk Demol, an assistant sports manager for the team. Armstrong has said he was not aiming to keep the yellow jersey in the flat stages that come in the days following the time trial. Those stages favor strong sprinters. "I suspect weâll be willing to give the jersey to someone else," he said. His aim is to be wearing it on the day that counts -- at the finish in Paris on July 25. Heâll have it for keeps by the time they get to that ITT on lâAlpe dâHuez. Posted by: Raj 2004-07-07 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=37429 |