Armstrong Moves Into Second Place
By JULIET MACUR
Published: July 7, 2009

MONTPELLIER, France — For the first time in four years at the Tour de France, Lance Armstrong stood atop the podium Tuesday and raised his arms high. In one hand was the trophy for winning Stage 4, the team time trial. In the other was a bouquet of flowers.

A whisper of time — not even as long as it takes to snap a finger — kept Armstrong, a seven-time Tour winner, from wearing the leader’s yellow jersey for his celebration.

“It’s a little bit of a disappointment,” Armstrong said, sounding particularly upbeat after his Astana team won the stage. “But I have seven yellow jerseys at home.”

With Armstrong’s help, Astana cruised so fast along 24.2 miles, or 39 kilometers, of narrow and snaking roads that the pack looked like a giant blur of blue and yellow. It finished in 46 minutes 29 seconds, as the crowd at the finish line cheered, then surged around Astana’s team bus.

Armstrong finished the day two-hundredths of a second behind the race leader Fabian Cancellara in the overall standings, erasing nearly all of the 40-second deficit he had going into Stage 4. Alberto Contador, Armstrong’s teammate, was in third place, 19 seconds back.

Cancellara let out a sigh after hearing he would not have to give up wearing the precious yellow jersey. His team, Saxo Bank, finished third in the time trial, in 47:09. Garmin-Slipstream was second, in 46:47.

Cancellara, from Switzerland, joked about the clock favoring him. He hailed what he called “the precision of Swiss timing.”

“Time is born in Switzerland, I think that’s good,” he said. “It’s on my side. Now we’ll do our best to keep the yellow jersey when we ride into Paris.”

But with Armstrong standing in his shadow, Cancellara knows that keeping the yellow will be a challenge. Armstrong, who emerged from a three-and-a-half-year retirement in the fall, has experience and history on his side. He has won this race, cycling’s jewel, two more times than any other man.

This time, though, Armstrong acknowledged that trying to win it for the eighth time was tougher than he ever thought.

“This is a confession,” he said in the news conference afterward. “I expected it to be easier.”

He added, “I’m not going to be last, but it won’t be like 2004, 2005 or 2001.”

And the race, which spans three weeks, 21 stages and about 3,500 kilometers (more than 2,100 miles), will grow only more difficult.

The peloton’s first stint in the mountains comes Friday, when the race heads into the Pyrenees. There, the struggle between Armstrong and Contador for leadership of the Astana team will heat up.

“I think that climb suits Lance, because it’s so long, but I think Contador is the best climber in the world,” Matt White, a race director for Garmin-Slipstream, said of the stage, which ends in the principality of Andorra. “If Contador wants to win the Tour, he needs to attack in Andorra, for sure.”

Before heading to the mountains, though, Armstrong and Contador saw several of their competitors fall in the overall standings.

Carlos Sastre, the defending champion, was in 29th, 2:44 back. Cadel Evans, a two-time Tour runner-up, was 35th, 2:59 back. Denis Menchov, the 2009 Giro d’Italia champion, was 72nd after crashing during his Rabobank team’s run. He was 3:52 out of first.

“I think today, the Tour de France is finished for some riders — and we won’t go into names — but that’s the way that the T.T.T. works now,” Armstrong said of the team time trial. “With no disrespect, it’s difficult to make up that time.”

But at the Tour, anything can happen, riders often say. On Monday, in Stage 3, Armstrong benefited from being in a pack that zoomed away from the head of the peloton. Suddenly, he went from 10th place to third, while the rest of the favorites lagged behind.

“A day like that could turn out to be dangerous and change everything, even when it was supposed to be a relatively quiet day,” said Ryder Hesjedal, of Team Garmin, who is 1:46 back. “You never thought the favorites could lose 40 seconds, but they did. That easily could happen again. It’s way too early to say Armstrong will win.”

But on Tuesday, on the roads in and around Montpellier, Armstrong gained nearly 40 seconds. And that was a challenge.

The roads were a little slick, and wicked crosswinds caused problems for many teams. Four riders on the Bbox Bouygues Telecom team crashed into a field. Others, like Menchov, smacked the ground on the tricky turns.

But Astana was smooth as it made its way to the finish line. At that time, the Garmin riders — spent and still suffering from their hard-core ride — sat shoulder-to-shoulder, waiting to find out if they had won.

Some buried their heads in towels. Others received face-washes from team assistants. Some caught their breath.

When Astana had beaten them, it was another surprise in a Tour of surprises. Armstrong’s surge into second was unexpected, too.

“This certainly could mean something big or it could prove to be nothing,” Jonathan Vaughters, Garmin’s team director, said of the surge in the standings by Armstrong, who is 37. “But it’s pretty impressive.

“Thirty-eight years old and on a comeback to be two-tenths away from yellow? I mean, I’m 36 and I couldn’t do that.”

In a way, he has won already, establishing at 37 that he can shake off a 3 1/2-year absence and immediately commandeer our attention at the Tour de France. But if this comeback once focused on his crusade against cancer, it's now about the unthinkable. Can you imagine Lance Armstrong, who could be hanging with Hollywood pals after conquering his sport and becoming one of history's most admired athletes, ripping across the Champs-Elysees three Sundays from now ahead of all other racers?

Again?

When only he thought his involvement made any sense?

We won't know for several days, of course, whether he is cycling into epic territory or taking one final joyride before surrendering to younger rivals and legs. But suddenly, Armstrong is making us watch every day -- on Versus, if you can find it -- and wonder if he can create another miracle. His first was surviving the testicular cancer that had spread to his brain and lungs and abdomen, returning to win the Tour seven consecutive times. Winning No. 8 shouldn't be compared with self-preservation, but it certainly would reassert forevermore that Armstrong, as a competitive cutthroat and jawdropper, is matched in modern sport only by Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods.

If he ran with the Bulls in Pamplona, you sense Lance would be the one doing the trampling and the goring, craggy face and all.

He's in position to do considerable damage after finishing the fourth stage in second place Tuesday, only a fraction of a second shy of wearing the yellow jersey that has symbolized his career. His Astana squad won the team time trial and allowed Armstrong, who entered the day 40 seconds behind leader Fabian Cancellara, to use experience and savvy and eliminate almost the entire time gap. You don't think he's psyching out the field the way Woods and Jordan have done? It sets up a Friday stage, the Tour's longest at 139.2 miles, that will require mountain-climbing and help separate potential champs from wannabes. Is Armstrong's age finally doomed to haunt him? Will the effects of a broken collarbone, suffered in a March crash, catch up to him? I think you're better off claiming Michael Jackson couldn't moonwalk. The lesson so far: Never ever doubt the man in the Tour de Lance.

"Boo-YA!!!" Armstrong wrote on Twitter, his favored way of communicating publicly. "What can I say? The team was simply awesome today. Consistent, fluid, mistake-free. We love this event ... and are stoked to win."

The lesson so far: Never ever doubt the man in the Tour de Lance. Later, at a news conference, he eschewed the Stuart Scott lingo and voiced all positives about his personal performance. Did he want to wear the yellow jersey? Sure, he did; he's Lance Armstrong. "But that's the way it is. We did our best," he said. "At one point, we thought we had it, but if I look back on our performance ... we were as sound as we could be. I have no regrets. I don't look at that and lose sleep or get disappointed. This is a long race, maybe there's one [yellow jersey] in my future."

His native America wasn't exactly abuzz when Armstrong announced he was ending his retirement and entering the Tour. What more could he achieve, anyway? It seemed he had little to gain and plenty to lose, particularly as his enemies in the French anti-doping community threatened as always to expose him as a drug cheat. Only days before the event started in Monaco, French sports minister Roselyne Bachelot said Armstrong would be watched like a serial killer on Death Row. "The [doping] controls will be multiplied, and I tell Lance Armstrong that he will be particularly, particularly, particularly monitored," Bachelot said, said, said. "There needs to be a really very, very active fight against doping. The organizers know how much a positive doping test could have harmful effects."

Tweeted Armstrong: "No worries, it's been this way for 10 years. I have nothing to hide."

PAGE 2

Indeed, for all the innuendo and suspicion through the years, Armstrong remains the Road Runner as anti-doping investigators blow up like so many Wile E. Coyotes. French authorities remain convinced that he was as dirty as anyone during his reign, with former Tour boss Patrice Clerc saying the return of Armstrong signified "reopening a troubled chapter of the Tour history." Tuesday in Montpellier, Armstrong fired back as usual. "Was the Tour ... in a perfect situation when I was gone?" he said. "When you look at any company or any organization, and you have dissension among the ranks, corruption among the ranks, you have too look at the boss. He was the boss. Under his reign, and under his leadership, cycling was not perfect."

He's right. Armstrong's seventh win came in 2005. The next year, American Floyd Landis tested positive for synthetic testosterone and was stripped of his win, which came after 58 riders were implicated in a Spanish investigation. In 2007, Michael Rasmussen misled authorities during anti-doping checks and was banned. Last year, six racers were nailed. The Tour de France was the Tour de Fraud, with two German TV stations so disgusted that they stopped covering the event. "The question really has to be turned back to [Clerc]," Armstrong said. "I understand he's upset he no longer has the job. But I would turn the question around and analyze the four years I was gone."

Armstrong's battles in France, a proud cycling country that has resented his Tour dominance, date back to his first victory in 1999. But not until he retired did a French sports daily named L'Equipe -- curiously owned by ASO, the same firm that organizes the Tour -- report that his blood sample in 1999 contained a banned hormone known as EPO. He later was cleared by a Dutch report, which said he was a victim of improper testing and handling, but not before he slammed the French for "a witch hunt." This year, Armstrong is being tested by the Tour and by Astana's drug program, and the president of anti-doping agency AFLD went so far to say his testers will treat Armstrong like any other racer -- contrary to Bachelot's wishes.

"He is probably a great sportsman, and from that point of view, he is not a rider like any other," Pierre Bordry told The Associated Press. "But he should be treated like the others when it comes to the fight against doping."

In recent years, French fans have warmed to Lance. They've treated him like a rock star this time, piling around the bus where he and his Astana mates gather. Some are even famous, such as actor Ben Stiller, who once cast Lance in a Dodgeball cameo. "I'm a big Lance fan," Stiller told reporters. "It's my first time on the Tour. It's the real deal here. I'm very excited."

Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, right, leads his Team Saxo Bank to take third place in the fourth stage of the Tour de France cycling race, a team time-trial over 39 kilometers (24.2 miles) with start and finish in Montpellier, southern France, Tuesday July 7, 2009. American seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong and overall leader Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland now have the same time in the overall standings but Cancellara retains the yellow jersey

He should be. On Monday, Armstrong made teammate Albert Contador -- this year's favorite and 2007 Tour winner -- look like a novice. When strong winds were altering strategies in the third stage, Armstrong made the veteran move of staying in front. Contador and others were nowhere to be seen and fell behind. It brought to mind a pre-Tour comment from Armstrong, who said Contador was gifted but "still has a lot to learn." This would be Exhibit A.

"Good positioning, experience, a little bit of luck," Armstrong said. "Just before that corner, I was 20 guys back and I decided just to move up enough to be on their wheel. And there it went. Whenever you see a team lined up at the front like that, you have to pay attention. You know what the wind's doing, and you see that a turn's coming up, so it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that you have to go to the front."

Naturally, the rumors began that Armstrong was hanging Contador out to dry after pledging to help him win the Tour. And it's still a good guess that Lance, given a chance at the Tour, probably would forget his vow. But Tuesday, he at least put on a good show about working together with Contador to help the team cause -- which, of course, helps Lance's personal mission. "My point was to Alberto, 'Look, let's ride perfect and make this race almost impossible to win for others,' " he said. "I think we can say that we accomplished that."

He isn't delusional. He doesn't think he's God. Armstrong can feel his age with every thrust of his legs and knows he's heading into the gauntlet of his cycling career. "It's not going to be easy. I'm not going to get last, but it won't be like 2004, 2005 and 2001," he said. "It's going to be a hell of a lot harder than I expected. That's as honest as I can say it."

Fine. So I'll be as honest as I can say it: Lance Armstrong has a chance to do something no cyclist ever has done or ever will do again. He can win the most grueling test in sports at an age when most men, even those in decent shape, can't ride a bike up a hill. Yes, I doubted why he was racing again.

Which means I'll watch the rest of the Tour in silence, a pair of handlebars stuffed in my mouth.

PERPIGNAN, France (AP) -- Thomas Voeckler of France has claimed a solo victory in the fifth stage of the Tour de France, a 122-mile ride from Le Cap d'Agde to Perpignan.

Following a long breakaway, Voeckler made his move 5 kilometers from the finish to escape from a small group of riders.

Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland retained the yellow leader's jersey Wednesday. Seven-time champion Lance Armstrong is second overall, by a fraction of a second, while teammate Alberto Contador of Spain is third, 19 seconds back.

Armstrong is a goddamn mutant. He gives us all heading deep into our thirties a sense of satisfaction, though

Armstrong ain't quat, but someone with money to pay off others so he can win.

Armstrong set for 1st big test at Tour de France

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN – 2 hours ago

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Stakes will be high in Friday's first mountain stage of the Tour de France, which could determine who is the real boss in Lance Armstrong's Astana team and offer a chance to the Texan's rivals to make up for the time they lost this week.

Armstrong couldn't be in a better situation before heading on a 139.2-mile ride from Barcelona to the Andorran ski resort of Arcalis, which culminates at 7,350 feet. The seven-time Tour de France champion is second overall, just a fraction of a second behind Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland, and nearly all his rivals are lagging far behind.

With Andy Schleck 1:41 behind, defending champion Carlos Sastre 2:44 back, two-time runner-up Cadel Evans lagging 2:59 behind and Denis Menchov 3:52 back, the road to an eighth Tour victory would appear wide open for the cancer survivor.

But Armstrong isn't really in command of his team like in the good old days and his biggest threat is within his own squad this year — Spaniard Alberto Contador, regarded as the best climber in the world.

After conceding 22 seconds to Contador in the opening time trial last week in Monaco, Armstrong was able to leapfrog the Spaniard following an astute move during Monday's third stage. Before the mountains, where third-placed Contador is expected to be the strongest, Armstrong leads the Spaniard by only 19 seconds.

"Tomorrow is an important day. I don't know if it's the most important day, but it's definitely a big appointment on this Tour" Armstrong said after Thursday's sixth stage won in a massive sprint by Thor Hushovd of Norway.

On their way to Arcalis, Armstrong and Contador will first have to deal with the Category 1 Col del Serra-Seca before the climb to Arcalis, which is classified "beyond category." The final ascent is 6.5 miles long and has an average gradient of 7.1 percent.

"I know Alberto wants to assert himself in the race," Armstrong said. "I don't need a team meeting to know that. I know he is ready to go. If he goes and nobody can hang with him, I'll just stay with the other leaders. But I'll show up tomorrow morning, try to do my best, get to the top as quick as I can and we'll see."

During his dominant seven years on the Tour, Armstrong, who came back to competition this season after nearly four years in retirement, always took advantage of the first hilltop finish to hand a blow to his rival. But his last win in France was in 2005 — and it remains to be seen of the 37-year old American's legs will respond if his younger rival attacks.

"Tomorrow is a very long stage and it could suit him well," the 26-year old Contador said. "If I see a situation that is favorable to me and if my legs respond, then I'm going to try and go for it."

Given the fact that four Astana riders are in the top 5 of the race, Armstrong and Astana manager Johan Bruyneel are considering that they don't have to set the tempo even if Contador, who won the Tour in 2007, has pins and needles in his legs.

"We are in a position where we can wait and watch the others, watch Carlos (Sastre), watch Evans, watch the Schleck brothers (Andy and Frank)," Armstrong said before the first of three Pyrenean stages scheduled this year on the Tour. "If I had to try and guess, I think the others will attack. I expect Carlos to make some accelerations."

Cancellara has been the only man to wear the yellow jersey this year but the Swiss isn't expected to fare as well as Contador, Armstrong and other strong climbers. Seeing Armstrong or Contador in yellow at the end of the longest stage of this year's Tour Friday afternoon is the most likely scenario, even if Bruyneel said the yellow jersey "is not necessarily" a priority.

On Barcelona's slippery roads, Hushovd defied the rain and the treacherous conditions to win the sixth stage. Hushovd, of the Cervelo team, collected his seventh Tour stage win by edging out two Spaniards — three-time world champion Oscar Freire in second, and Jose Joaquin Rojas in third.

"I'm just too, too happy," said Hushovd, who won the best sprinter's green jersey in 2005. "It's true that it was a nervous day, too, because it was raining and the roads were slippery."

They clocked 4 hours, 21 minutes, 33 seconds for the stage, the same time as 40 other riders including Armstrong and Cancellara.

your comment is beneath contempt

If this guy beleives that the froggies are happy to let a foreigner win ANYTHING over there then he doesn't understand the French psyche at all!

The Zappos are funny this way and are warming to the Tour De Lance if he wins he will be treated like Lindberg ....It will be a tremendous story ....He will return Fame and Prestige to The Tour...which has slipped in past years due to scandal Armstrong is being tested Daily so there Senor Frog How do you like those pommes