(These stories come from USPS Team Manager/Publicist
Dan Osipow and Margot Myers of the USPS, and give a rare insiders look at what goes on behind
the scenes, and on the road, at the world's greatest cycling
event.
TOUR NOTEBOOK - Stage 20 - Arpajon to Paris 143.5 km
PARIS - What an amazing experience this year's Tour de France
has been for the U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling team. Ten years
ago, San Francisco investment banker Thom Weisel had a dream of
building an American-based, world-class professional cycling team.
A former master's class world and national champion cyclist
himself, Weisel wanted to see a U.S. team that could compete in
cycling's premier even, the Tour de France.
Four years ago, the Postal Service signed on as the title
sponsor of the growing team. The team has changed and improved
every year. An early goal was to be good enough and credible
enough to get a wildcard invitation to the Tour de France. That
happened in the 1997 season. In 1998, we had progressed to the
point where the team was ranked among the top 16 in the world and
we received an automatic invitation to participate. A stage win
was the primary goal for the Tour each of the past two years.
Though we came close a bunch of times, we never achieved that
goal.
Until this year, that is. Tonight, Lance recalled that just
after the Vuelta a Espana last year, he received an email from
Johan Bruyneel which said, "Next year, I expect to see you on
the podium at the Tour de France in the rainbow jersey."
Lance didn't win the World Championship last year (which would
have given him the rainbow jersey) but he did win the Tour de
France
today.
When the peloton first arrived in Paris for its10 laps on the
Champs Elysées, the entire postalteam was at the front leading
Lance to victory. That moment will always be etched in my memory.
I felt incredibly proud of all that the team accomplished over the
last three weeks.
During the lap of honor, our contingent cheered for all of the
teams as they rode by. When our team got to the area where we were
standing on the Champs Elysées, there were loud cheers, then
craziness. First the media circled around Lance. We provided
glasses of champagne or cans of beer to the riders. Then the first
bottle of champagne was sprayed across the crowd. A second was
poured over the heads of several members of team management. The
gendarmes stood back, looking bemused. Guess they'd never seen an
American on an American team win the Tour de France before.
Tonight, we had a victory celebration at the Musée d'Orsay in
a beautiful private room. Family, friends and a few of our
favorite journalists joined the team members, management and staff
to celebrate today's win. When asked to say a few words this
evening, Lance said, "I wore the maillot jaune onto the
Champs Elysées today but my responsibility for that was equal to
just about the zipper. The rest of the body, the sleeves, the
collar were there because of my team, the support staff and my
family. And I mean that from the bottom of my heart." He
called Johan a man of great vision and talked about the many
training rides they had done with Johan in the car and Lance on
the bike, communicating by radio. He credited Johan with helping
him get to the point where he could win the Tour de France.
Lance received congratulatory calls from Postmaster General
Bill Henderson and Texas Governor George W. Bush. President
Clinton, in Morocco for the state funeral, tried several times to
call from Air Force One on his way back to the U.S. The first
several times, we had to apologize and say that Lance was late
arriving from the hotel and ask for a call back. Finally, several
hours afterthe first attempt, the two connected.
Attending the party was Eddie Merckx, the great Belgian cyclist
who won the Tour five times. In the year he first won, he also had
eight stage wins, and took the green and polka dot jerseys in
addition to the maillot jaune. I think that shows that no matter
how good you are, you can always be better. This is a great team,
getting better all the time.
From Margot Myers USPS
Tour Summary
The story of the Tour de France is always one of courage in the
face of adversity. That storyline was even richer than normal in
this year's 86th edition of cycling's most important race.
American Lance Armstrong's comeback from cancer and his meteoric
return to the elite of cycling reads like a movie script. So much
so, there's a movie deal in the works. Armstrong won the
2,287-mile three-week Tour Sunday in Paris, the first American to
win the race since three-time Tour winner Greg LeMond last won in
1990.
Armstrong won in a complete demonstration of resolve,
will-power and brawn. But Armstrong did it his way, like eveything
he does. He defied the pundits who said he was "damaged
goods" after battling back from cancer. Armstrong surprised
cycling's strongest riders by winning four stages, including a
mountain stage. Armstrong also every race against the clock, a
feat only matched by Tour greats Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and
Miguel Indurain. Armstrong also won a war against the press, which
tried but failed to link Armstrong to doping scandal. "I feel
it's a fantastic story. This isn't Hollywood. It's not Disney.
It's a true story," Armstrong said. "I worked hard. The
team worked hard. We were all passionate about winning this race.
It's a story about someone who sacrificed everything for this
race."
Armstrong and his U.S. Postal team controlled the race from the
start. In the mountains, Armstrong revealed his newfound strength,
winning at Sestrieres and riding with the strongest in the
Pyrenees. "I'm happy I finished second. No one deserved to
beat Armstrong this year," said second-place Alex Zulle.
Armstrong admitted revenge was a motivating factor in this
year's Tour. After Armstrong was diagnosed with cancer in 1996,
his new team, Cofidis, dumped him after he had just signed a
two-year, $2 million deal. No teams would sign him in 1997 when he
returned to cycling and only U.S. Postal gave him a contract in
1998. "My motivation was 50-25-25. Fifty percent for the
surivors of cancer and those in the cancer community who helped me
survive. Twenty-five percent was for me and my teammates. And
twenty-five percent was for those people who didn't believe in
me," Armstrong.
"The U.S. Postal Service is the team that truly believed
in me and gave me real opportunities. It's special that I can do
this with this team with these riders," he said. "Johan
(Bruyneel) was the first person who believed in Lance Armstrong in
the Tour de France. He set the objective and set the bar
high."
Revenge is sweet for the 27-year-old Texan, but Armstrong says
he's a new man after cancer. "I think that the illness is a
good thing in some ways. I wouldn't want to do it again. But the
time away from cycling and the time to think about what's really
important in life was great. I've come back with a new perspective
and a whole new list of priorities," he said.
His Lance Armstrong Foundation raised $1.2 million during his
Ride for the Roses race in May. Armstrong says he plans to give a
percentage of his Tour earnings to the foundation. "It's one
of the great pleasures of my life. It's one of the nice effects of
cancer on my life," Armstrong said.
With the key riders on the U.S. Postal team under contract,
team manager Mark Gorski said this could be the start of something
special. Not only is U.S. Postal the first American team to win
the Tour, Gorski said he believes Armstrong is just hitting
stride. "I think we never expected that we would become the
first American team to win the Tour de France in just three years
on the Tour. It was much faster than we expected. We never
expected Lance to ever be a potential winner of the Tour de
France," Gorski said.
"He's an incredibly tough human being. Lance has gone
through so much and where he went. If we win the first one, this
could be the start of three or four or five victories. You can
easily say that this year is a big improvement over last year and
next year he can be even stronger. We're going to continue with
the same program. "I think the whole team has ridden so
strong. It's been an entire team effort to control the race. That
has made it a lot easier for Lance. He's conserved his energy
until the most difficult parts of the climbs up until the last
moments. That's made a big difference for him, both physically and
mentally."
Lance fever is already kicking in. He's scheduled to return to
New York Wednesday night after racing in lucrative criteriums
early this week in Europe. Armstrong will appear on The Today
Show, Larry King Live and Late Night with David Letterman.
Armstrong's also signed deals for an autobiography and a
documentary film produced by renowned filmmaker Bud Greenspan.
Many believe Armstrong's victory will eclipse the sport of
cycling. When LeMond first won in 1986, America was just being
introduced to the Tour. Now, with the changes in sports marketing
coupled with Armstrong's miracle comeback from cancer, many
believe Armstrong's victory will be even bigger. "It may be
even bigger than the LeMond victory," Gorski agree.
"It's his story, his personality, he's racing for an American
team. American companies are involved. I think it's going to have
a big impact. I hope this inspires a lot of American children to
get into the sport."
Even the great Merckx agreed Armstrong was the man in this
year's Tour. The five-time Tour winner and holder of nearly every
cycling record said Armstrong deserves this Tour victory without
asterisks. "He is the strongest rider. He won the time trials
and he won a hard stage in the mountains. He has control of the
race," Merckx said. "He's a complete rider. Before the
cancer, he won the world championship and Fleche-Wallone. Now he's
27, he's at the best of the life now that he's recovered from the
cancer. He's the best at this moment."
Here's how Armstrong earned his dramatic win:
>> Prologue, July 3: After his remarkable return
from cancer, Armstrong's presence among the 180 riders starting
the 86th our is news enough. No one expected him to win the first
yellow jersey of this year's race. But Armstrong had been on a
tear since June, winning the opening prologue on a similar course
at the Dauphine Libere, an important Tour warm-up race in France.
Another tip to Armstrong's form was an impressive mountain-top
stage-win in the Pyrenees at another French race just before the
Tour. Most impressive about Armstrong's prologue win, however, was
the margin. Even at the height of his powers, five-time Tour
winner Miguel Indurain of Spain could only eke out a 6-second
margin in the three prologues he won. With a wild look in his eye,
Armstrong crossed the line pumping his fist, 7 seconds ahead of
Switzerland's Alex Zulle.
>> Stage 2: The opening week of the Tour is a nervous
one. The roads are crowded as anxious riders fight to be at the
front of the main group. That's where the challengers for victory
need to be to avoid trouble. Disaster strikes in the 105-mile
second stage that takes the peloton across the Passage du Gois, a
narrow causeway that's buried underwater during the high tide. A
rider crashes hard, knocking 10 racers off their bikes. Anyone
behind the crash is held up as racers scramble to remount.
Breaking with tradition that says no attacks when a racer crashes,
riders off the front smell opportunity and put the hammer down.
They finish more than 6 minutes ahead of the second group, which
includes Zulle and several other key rivals. The race could have
been very different had second-place Zulle not lost the time.
Armstrong drops to second in the overall standings, but he's 6:24
ahead Zulle.
>> Stage 8: Armstrong loses the yellow jersey to
sprinter Jan Kirsipuu early in the race on time bonifications.
Armstrong regains it for good with a dramatic win in the first of
two individual time trials. Armstrong crushes his opponents on the
hilly, windy course in northern France, taking crucial minutes
away from his top rivals in the race against the clock. With two
weeks of racing still ahead of them, Armstrong is now the man to
beat. Armstrong is 2:20 ahead of Christophe Moreau, a poor
climber, and 2:33 ahead of Spain's Abraham Olano.
>> Stage 9: After the Tour's first rest day,
Armstrong shocks the cycling world with his first major mountain
stage victory of his career. Armstrong was always built like a
running back, winning hard-scrabble one-day races in horrible
conditions, using his trademark persistence and strength to grind
opponents into the ground. After cancer, Armstrong is reborn as a
cyclist, 15 pounds lighter than he was before. In a long, hard
132-mile stage across six mountain passes in the Alps, the new
lighter, faster Armstrong drops his strongest rivals to win his
second-straight stage. The tactic is the old Armstrong, however.
He simply hammers his opposition with never-ceasing attacks. While
Armstrong's dramatic win solidifies his hold on the lead, his
strong
performance raises questions among a press corps hungry for
scandal. Many start to ask how Armstrong could survive cancer yet
return stronger than he was before. Armstrong calls it a medical
miracle, a suspicious press calls it something else. From this
point on, Armstrong is dogged by suspicions over
performance-enhancing drugs. Armstrong's lead is 6:03 over
second-place Olano.
>> Stage 13: In the longest and hottest stage of
the Tour, Armstrong's team reveals how strong it can be. Nothing
changes in the overall standings in this 146-mile stage across
France's rugged Massif Central, but that's the point. A racer
cannot win a race like the Tour de France without a strong team.
The U.S. Postal team controls the race in four tough transition
stages between the Alps and the Pyrenees. His rivals see that
strength and don't attack. Armstrong's lead after the Alps is 7:44
over Olano.
>> Stage 15: In the first of two stages in the
Pyrenees, Armstrong's mental strength shines through. He finishes
fourth in the 107-mile, six-climb stage, perhaps the hardest in
the Tour. But it's Armstrong's mental fiber that wins the day. He
refuses to let innuendo and rumor distract his performance. A
story breaks that Armstrong tested positive for corticoids, a
banned substance used to ease pain. Instead, the real story is
Armstrong was treating a skin ailment with a cream that had minute
traces of the substance. Cycling's governing body, the UCI, clears
Armstrong's name. On this day, Armstrong wins the bicycle race and
the war against the media. Armstrong's lead is 6:19 over
second-place Fernando Escartin.
>> Stage 19: With such a huge lead, the pressure
was off. But Armstrong is too proud just to spin through the race.
He ended the Tour with an exclamation point.
>> Stage 20: Of course, the Tour is a three-week
affair, and it ain't over until it's over. When Armstrong finally
crosses the finish line on the cobblestone way of the Champs-Elysees,
only then he will be declared the victor.
TOUR NOTEBOOK - Stage 17 - Mourenx to Bordeaux - 200 km
The Sprinters Are Back, Tom Steels Wins Stage 17
It's not just the Postal Service that is happy to be out of the
mountains. The Alps, the rugged hills of the Massif Central, the
Pyrenees, the nightmare is over for the Tour's sprinters who now
have the final chance to shine.
Today, Belgium's Tom Steels became the first sprinter to win a
stage since Cipo took stage 7 in Thionville nearly two weeks ago.
Steels' victory, his 3rd of the Tour, came at the expense of
Robbie McEwen. McEwen and his Dutch team Rabobank have been
looking for a beacon of light in what has been a dark three weeks
for the world's number one ranked team.
The win for Steels would have been his fourth of the Tour, however
his victory in stage six was disqualified for what were referred
to as "dangerous tactics" in the final sprint-Cipollini
was awarded that stage.
Erik Zabel's 3rd place finish may have secured the Green Jersey
for the Telekom rider. Stuart O'Grady, who entered the day 12
points behind Zabel in the best sprinters competition, crashed in
the final sprint. Bruised but not beaten, O'Grady finished the
race with no points for the finish and is now 40 points down in
the Green Jersey chase with three stages remaining.
The US Postal Service's George Hincapie, now clear of towing
Livingston and Hamilton through the mountains, was able to contend
for the stage and finished 4th.
The mountain plan for the Postal Service was for Hincapie, Derame,
Vande Velde and Andreu to pull Armstrong, Livingston, and Hamilton
as far as they could before burning out. At that point, Livingston
and then Hamilton would take over before releasing Armstrong to
chase down his attackers. You can think of it as various stages of
a rocket's boosters expending their fuel and falling back to
earth.
With the mountains behind the team, Livingston and Hamilton will
be able to share some of the early workload.
There was no real movement in the GC today as the top 100 riders
finished within eight seconds of Steels' winning time. Armstrong
and US Postal are still in command.
TOUR NOTEBOOK - STAGE 16 - Lannemezan to Pau - 192 km
The finish in Pau was fast and furious, part of a 60 km descent
out of the Pyrenees. Etxebarria narrowly edged out a pack of five
sprinters all eager for the glory of just one day atop the podium.
Etxebarria's victory was a consolation for ONCE as their top
man, Abraham Olano, was again unable to stay with the breakaway
that featured the yellow jersey. Olano entered into the Pyrenees
in 2nd place overall behind Armstrong. He exits at 14:29, in 8th
place.
For the U.S. Postal Service and Lance Armstrong, the fog has
lifted and Paris is now clearly within their sites. With nothing
to gain, and after communication with Directeur Sportif, Johan
Bruyneel, Armstrong eased up the chase with 14 km to the finish
line. Armstrong placed 11th in the 12 man break that finished two
minutes ahead of the lead peleton.
Four flat stages remain. The final test coming in stage 19, the
57 km time trial in the futurist theme park of Futuroscope.
TOUR NOTEBOOK - STAGE 15 Saint-Gaudens to Piau-Engaly - 173 km
As promised, day one in the Pyrenees brought on the attacks
against the yellow jersey and the battle for second place.
Armstrong once again proved himself a match for the top climbers
in this Tour de France. He finished 4th among Banesto's Alex
Zülle and King of the Mountain leader Richard Virenque.
TOUR NOTEBOOK - STAGE 14
For the fourth straight stage, and the final one before two
looming stages
in the Pyrenees, a break of non-threatening riders escaped the
field and
were able to ride for the glory of the stage victory. This
time, it was
Russian veteran Dmitiri Konyshev who took the spoils in stage 14,
giving his
Mercatone Uno team it's first stage victory of this year's Tour de
France.
Konyshev, who last won a Tour de France stage back in 1991, had
been
extremely active over the last few stages. He placed second
in stage 11 and
was a part of the winning break yesterday before faltering in the
final
run-in to Albi. Konyshev was one member of a six-rider break
that escaped
and eventually built a lead of 15 minutes with 25 kms to go in the
199 km
stage from Castres to Saint-Gaudens. Today's stage was a
carbon copy of the
last four for the USPS team - ride at the front of the pack from
the
beginning, monitor the moves of all of Lance Armstrong's key
rivals, allow a
break of riders not in overall contention get away and then settle
in at the
front for another long day. Armstrong crossed the finish
line in 60th place
today, some 13:27 back of Konyshev. Armstrong's chief
lieutenant, Tyler
Hamilton, was by his side in 61st place.
Pascal Derame and Christian Vande Velde finished in a small group
nearly two
minutes back of the Armstrong group. Both riders once again
did the
necessary work for their team leader and then dropped back in the
final
stretch of the stage.
Following the stage, the post-race festivities began as they have
since
Armstrong took back the yellow jersey following the Metz time
trial one week
ago. Armstrong donned the "malliot jaune" yet
again - this one with black
lettering to better read "United States Postal Service."
After the podium,
Armstrong granted an interview with Italian television and,
following
medical control, was on his way back to his team camper when he
was
approached by a reporter from England's Channel 4 television.
The reporter
wanted to know if Armstrong was holding out speaking with all
English-speaking media outlets, since he granted the interview
with Italian
television but has avoided most others. Armstrong stopped
dead in his
tracks and looked the reporter in the eye and "What's your
question?" What
then started as a one-on-one interview eventually turned into a
full-fledged
media event, with Armstrong speaking on several hot topics in
front of
nearly 20 cameras. As he has throughout the race, Armstrong
flatly denied
the allegations from the French press that he may have been doping
during
the Tour. Armstrong bristled at this topic, calling many of
the reporters
"unprofessional and irresponsible," printing stories
only based on innuendo
and rumor. He said most of the reporters have a short and
selective memory
- saying that nobody questioned anything about him following his
victory at
the 1993 World Championship as a relatively unknown 21-year-old.
He
continued to state his disappointment that every year at the Tour
de France
the wearer of the yellow jersey is questioned when he rides
strongly
throughout the race. After nearly 20 minutes, Armstrong
moved on to the
team camper and stopped again to speak with another foreign
journalist. He
once again touched on many aspects of the Tour, including
admitting that he
had "dug very deep" during his stage victory to
Sestrieres and that he was
"cross-eyed" in exhaustion when he finished the time
trial in Metz. "You
looked cross-eyed," the journalist said. "I was
cross-eyed," confirmed
Armstrong. He concluded the interview by stating he will
answer any and all
questions during his second scheduled press conference of the race
tomorrow
afternoon at 5PM local time. "I have nothing to
hide," he said. "I have
been very open throughout my life. I was open to everyone
about a very
private illness. I have lived my live open and have always
been open in my
riding."
It's never easy picking a restaurant, especially when everyone in
the group
is tired, hot and hungry. Following yesterday's stage that
finished in
Albi, our group was indecisive about choosing one of three
restaurants right
next to each other on a quaint cobblestone ally. Before all
three menus
were read (and translated), the head waiter of one yelled out -
"I like
Armstrong!" Needless to say, the group sat down and
enjoyed a fine dinner.
The waiter added he has followed Armstrong's career since his days
in
triathlon.
The Tour de France reaches nearly everyone in France in some form
or
fashion. Last Friday, it reached the tiny village of St.
Chely d'Apacher.
Following the stage finish in Saint-Flour, our group drove to the
town to
spend the evening at the hotel Jean d'Arc. As has been the
case through
much of the Tour, Armstrong had given away his podium flowers to
one of the
team's guests. Upon our arrival at the hotel, the hotel
owners immediately
began eyeing the beautiful bouquet of flowers wrapped in yellow
paper, fully
aware they were the flowers of the "malliot jaune."
Soon enough, the
flowers were given to the hotel as a thank you and later in the
day some
locals had their picture taken next to the bouquet.
Following tomorrow's rest day will be what many have called the
most
difficult day of the Tour. Tuesday's 15th stage, a 173 km
race from
Saint-Gaudens to Piau-Engaly features five first-category climbs,
including
four in the final 80+ km. If any of Armstrong's chief rivals
plan on making
up any of his nearly eight minute lead, it must begin on Tuesday.
TOUR NOTEBOOK - STAGE 11
With Lance Armstrong's lead at over seven minutes and with the
entire
peloton in recovery mode from the last two mountain-top finishes
in the
Alps, the race favorites sat back for much of today's 198.5 km
11th stage
from Le Bourg-d'Oisans to Saint-Etienne. The field was happy
to let a break
go up the road consisting of seven riders far back on the general
classification. The USPS team rode tempo at the front in
order to keep the
break reasonably in check, and to prevent any of Armstrong's foes
from
bridging the gap. Mission accomplished. The eventual
stage winner,
Lampre's Ludo Dierckxsens, started the day over one hour behind
Armstrong in
the GC and finished 22:22 ahead of the yellow-clad Texan and all
of the
other top contenders. For his efforts, Dierckxsens moved
from 77th to 51st
overall and earned his Italian team a much-sought after stage
victory.
Armstrong finished in 31st place and maintained his 7:42 lead over
ONCE's
Abraham Olano and his 7:47 lead of Banesto's Alex Zulle.
Armstrong has literally become a victim of his own success.
Already a fan
favorite for his aggressive style that produced previous Tour de
France
stage and World Cup victories, Armstrong's popularity has hit its
zenith
during his stay in yellow. However, what comes with the
success is constant
scrutiny from the French press and the suffocating mass of
autograph seekers
and onlookers. Before today's start at Le Bourg-d-Oisans, a
beautiful Alps
village at the base of the l'Alpe d'Huez climb, Armstrong spent
much of his
time in one of the USPS team's campers, avoiding the crush of
humanity
waiting outside the door. With the temperatures rising
outside, the camper
was just as hot inside, yet it was the only solace Armstrong could
seek
before defending the yellow jersey.
Polti's Richard Virenque, the current mountains competition
leader, had this
to say regarding the overall GC: "If Armstrong doesn't
crack, the rest of
us will simply be playing for podium places in Paris."
With Armstrong in control of the race through 11 stages, more
members of the
American press are appearing in the press center each day.
Reporters from
the Boston Globe, Philadelphia Inquirer, Chicago Tribune and USA
Today have
either arrived or will arrive in France shortly, to join
journalists from
The New York Times and Associated Press.
With each passing day, more and more American flags are showing up
on the
daily course route. Interestingly enough, it seems that not
all of the flag
bearers are Americans. In addition, the team's Volkswagen
van that drives
ahead of the course en route to the finish each day has received
much
applause along with the thumbs-up and victory signs from the
French crowd.
The Tour's "fashion nightmare" had the last laugh in
today's stage.
Dierckxsens won the stage with a late solo break highlighted by an
emotional
celebration in the final few hundred meters. Ludo, a member
of the Italian
Lampre-Daikin team, is the current Belgian national champion and
proudly
wears the colors of the Belgian flag on his jersey. However,
the problem
Ludo faces each time he dons his national champion's jersey is how
it
clashes with his pink and blue colored shorts of his Lampre team.
With his
bald head and earring, Dierckxsens, 34, bears a passing
resemblance to last
year's champion, Marco Pantani. His victory was a boost for
the Lampre
team, which lost four riders in the stage to l'Alpe d'Huez
yesterday.
Through 11 stages, the Tour has yet to produce a French stage
winner. While
the country has yet to reach panic mode, it should be noted that
the French
have won at least one stage in the Tour de France every year since
its
inception. It has been 14 years since a Frenchman has won
the yellow
jersey.
Tomorrow's 12th stage, from Saint-Galmier to Saint-Flour will once
again
test the riders with numerous lesser climbs, compared to the Alps
in the
rider's rear-view mirrors. The 201.5 km stage takes the
peloton over six
categorized climbs - two at second category and four at third
category.
Stage 10 - Sestrières to L'Alpe d'Huez - 220.5 km
* All of Europe still seems to be shaking its collective head
after Lance Armstrong's victory in yesterday's ninth stage of the
Tour de France. This morning's headlines across France:
France-Soir - STUPEFIANT ARMSTRONG (Stupifying Armstrong)
Le Figaro - ARMSTRONG L'EXTRA-TERRESSTRE DU TOUR (Armstrong
the extra-terrestrial of the Tour)
Le Dauphiné Libéré - ARMSTRONG EN SEIGNEUR (Lord)
L'Equipe - SUR UNE AUTRE PLANETE (On another planet)
Aujourd'hui en France - ARMSTRONG ECRASE LE TOUR
* Although admitting that he was very tired from yesterday's
effort and that his goal was simply to maintain his grasp on the
yellow jersey, Armstrong once again showed off his amazing
climbing ability. In finishing fifth, the Texan crossed the line
along with two of the sport's top pure climbers in Kelme's
Fernando Escartin and Polti's Richard Virenque. When asked what
has made him different at this year's Tour, Armstrong said,
"I don't know. We have worked hard this season and made the
Tour our only goal."
* Three-time Tour de France champion Greg LeMond caught up with
Armstrong and had nothing but kind words for the former World
Champion. "He's been through even harder times than me and
he's back a better rider. I can't understand it."
* In the overall team competition, the Postal Service dropped back
to 3rd place, 5'14" behind ONCE-Deutsche Bank. The team had
held the overall lead since the Prologue. Tomorrow morning will be
the first since the Prologue that team hasn't lined up in front of
a crowd and photographers to take medals and stuffed lions.
* On Bastille Day, two French riders, Thierry Bourginan and former
yellow jersey holder Stephan Heulot, tried to win the stage. The
two riders rode clear of the group on the descent of the day's
first climb, the Col du Mont-Cenis. The duo stayed clear until the
final climb of l'Alpe d'Huez.
* Guerini continued the Italian Renaissance at l'Alpe d'Huez.
Guerini became the fourth Italian rider in succession to have won
the stage. Roberto Conti won the stage in 1994 while Marco Pantani
won the 1995 and 1997 versions. In fact, since 1990, Italians have
won seven of the eight stages held on the mountain.
* The peloton exits the Alpes tomorrow with the 11th stage, a
198.5-km course from Le Bourg-d'Oisans to Saint-Etienne. The stage
features three categorized climbs - the Col de Parmenie, the
fourth category Cote des Barges and the second category Col de la
Croix de Chaubouret.
Stage 9 - Le Grand Bornand to Sestrières - 213.50 km (First
mountain stage)
* As has been the case throughout the Tour, the USPS team has
completely sacrificed themselves for Armstrong. During the first
part of today's stage, Peter Meinert, Pascal Deramé and Christian
Vande Velde worked the front of the peloton in pursuit of the
race's first breakaway. Frankie Andreu and then George Hincapie
paced Armstrong up the early climbs of the stage, again in pursuit
of the lead riders. Then on the Galibier, a monster of a climb
nearly 20 kms long, Kevin Livingston and Tyler Hamilton took up
the work and brought Armstrong back to a trio of riders that had
gone up the road. Unfortunately, both Livingston and Hamilton
crashed on the descent of the Montgenevre and were unable to chase
back into Armstrong's group. In the overall GC, Livingston is in
17th place with Hamilton in 19th overall.
* Armstrong's victory today gives him five career Tour de France
stage wins, tying him with three-time winner Greg LeMond. LeMond
made an appearance at the Tour prior to the start of today's
stage, riding up to the Village Depart with his bicycle tour
group. LeMond was eager to speak about Armstrong, stating that he
is definitely the favorite for the race. LeMond commented on how
fit Armstrong looks and believed he would not have much trouble in
the mountains following his performances at the Dauphiné
Libéréand the Route du Sud in June. LeMond also said he felt
that the USPS team was the strongest team in the race and that
Armstrong would receive the necessary support in the mountains to
defend the yellow jersey. Following today's stage, LeMond said of
Armstrong, "It is unbelievable what he is doing."
* Today's stage was the fourth time a Tour stage finished in
Sestrieres. The three previous winners were Fausto Coppi in 1952,
Claudio Chiappucci in 1992 and Bjarne Riis in 1996. Both Coppi and
Riis went on to win the overall.
* The victory was the first by an American cyclist in a
mountain stage since the 1992 Tour when Armstrong's former
teammate, Andy Hampsten, won the stage to l'Alpe d'Huez.
* After his time trial victory on Sunday, Armstrong said it has
always been his character to attack and that now that he is in
yellow, he would have to change his character. He may want to
re-think that strategy, as the ever-aggressive Armstrong rode
clear from his rivals in the final six kms to take the stage
victory. However, it was not an attack by Armstrong that drove him
away from Zulle, Escartin and Gotti, he simply rode them off his
wheel.
* A true indication that the Tour de France had finally
arrived, i.e. the race entered the crucial mountain stages, was
the chaotic start and finish. Held in Le Grand Bornand, a
beautiful Alpine village just over 30 minutes from Lake Annecy,
every Tour vehicle, from team cars to team buses to publicity
caravan vehicles, had to use the one road into town and then the
one road out of town. Despite the traffic and the battle for
parking spaces, the race started on time. The finish, however, did
not come off as smoothly. After the first handful of riders
crossed the line, the skies opened up with heavy rain and hail.
Most of the vehicles parked in the designated "equipe"
(team) area then had to backtrack past the finish line to reach
the team hotels. However, the finish line area was in the process
of being torn down when many vehicles - some holding riders having
just finished the stage - tried to pass. Welcome to the mountains.
* Officials from Trek Bicycles, the team's official bicycle
sponsor, attended the Tour today with over 20 bicycle magazine
editors from around the world. After spending time in the Village
Depart (a reserved area in Le Grand Bornand for the race start),
the group boarded vans and drove the race course up to the summit
of the Galibier, where they gathered in a restaurant to watch the
rest of the stage. Trek has signed on as the official bike sponsor
through 2001. Lance and the rest of the team ride on stock Trek
OCLV frames and forks.
* During his press conference yesterday, Armstrong was asked if
he was going to go for the win in either today's or tomorrow's
stage. After pausing for a moment, Armstrong said he doesn't feel
the pressure to win either day. He had won his race the day before
and now it was up to the climbers to try and take the race from
him. However, he did add that of the two stages, the second,
tomorrow's stage to l'Alpe d'Huez suited him better. Why?
"Because it's harder," he said.
Stage 8- Time Trial
None of the superlatives were able to fully describe what everyone
had just
seen take place.
Finally, a few hours after the USPS' Lance Armstrong had stormed
to a
victory in the stage eight time trial and regained the yellow
jersey at the
Tour de France, teammate Tyler Hamilton yelled out to Lance's
wife, Kristin,
"You're husband is incredible."
Incredible, indeed. Incredible enough to decimate the field
in the 56.5 km
stage and take a 2:20 lead into the first mountain stage on
Tuesday
following tomorrow's rest day.
Even Armstrong seemed shaken by it all. Admitting he went as
hard as
possible, he was unable to fully explain his performance during
the first
handful of interviews following the victory.
What he does know is that he is back in yellow.
"I wanted to take the jersey back, it was such as special
feeling the first
time (after winning the prologue eight days ago)," he said.
Following his incredible ride, Armstrong was mobbed by hordes of
media after
just crossing the finish line. With the help of several
staff members
clearing the way, Armstrong rode through the chaos and returned to
the team
campers. Waiting at the team vehicles were dozens of
cheering Americans
fans and even more press hoping to grab a sound bite from the
Texan. After
a quick wipe down and a few cold recovery drinks, Armstrong donned
a clean
team jersey and received a hearty congratulations call from team
President
Thom Weisel on his cell phone. After just a few minutes, it
was time to
re-enter the chaos and somehow return to the podium for the yellow
jersey
presentation. With several race officials along with staff
members clearing
the way, Armstrong returned to the podium where his wife and
mother-in-law
were waiting. Prior to reaching the stage, Armstrong gave
interviews with
France 2,3 - the country's official station for the Tour de France
- and
with ABC television. Finally, in what seemed like hours
after finishing his
ride, Armstrong accepted the sport's greatest prize - the yellow
jersey.
However, Armstrong's press tour was just beginning. After
receiving his
jersey, Armstrong went behind the stage to speak with nearly 50
reporters
crammed together against a chain-link fence. With an
abundance of
microphones pressed close to his face, Armstrong explained in
English,
French and Italian what had just occurred and how he would handle
the
upcoming mountains.
"I will not be surprised by the mountains," Armstrong
said. "We held two
training camps in the Alps and the Pyrenees. I have done the
course and
know the circuit."
"My character is to attack and that's not the best character
for the yellow
jersey," he added. "I must be conservative."
About his rivals in the mountains, Armstrong said, "All of
the climbers will
attack. They have to attack and they will."
Several minutes later, it was on to one of the huge Societe du
Tour de
France trailers at the finish line for more live interviews.
He then moved
on to the video-interview trailer, which links its occupants with
the media
still assembled in the press center on-site. After nearly 30
minutes in the
trailer, more and more press began to gather at the foot of the
stairs,
waiting for Armstrong to emerge. Swiftly, Armstrong exited
for the rear of
the trailer and was able to sneak by the outside press and make it
into the
medical control area relatively unscathed.
Finished? Not yet. After medical control, Armstrong
was asked to appear on
"Velo Club" the post-race television wrap-up show held
live after each stage
on France 2,3. He obliged and was joined by his wife on
stage. Held in yet
another huge trailer near the finish line, hundreds of onlookers
cheered
loudly as Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong climbed the stairs and sat down
next to the
Bob Costas-like French cycling analyst. Despite being asked
the first
question in English, Armstrong conducted the entire interview in
French.
The Belgian-based Lotto team, already on stage when Armstrong
arrived, sat
quietly until Armstrong left the stage.
After another mad dash to avoid the crush of reporters, Armstrong
finally
returned to the team campers and received numerous congratulations
from team
staff members and friends that remained. Armstrong agreed to
a few more
brief interviews before packing up and heading to the team hotel.
When asked the inevitable question about defending the jersey,
Armstrong
said he will have to go day-by-day. When the reporter became
more specific
and asked directly if he will defend the jersey, Armstrong smiled
back and
said - "I will tomorrow." That will be for sure,
as tomorrow brings the
first rest day of the Tour de France.
"We all know what the job is," he added. When
asked what it is, he shot
back, "It's to win the Tour de France."
|
1999
Tour de France Notebook from US Postal Team Staff