Using Twitter posts and personal video footage, RadioShack's Lance Armstrong periodically updates his fans on not only his activities, but also those of the RadioShack team. His latest update was recorded during his last training ride north west of Austin in the Texas hill country.
Armstrong is leaving for Spain, his home base for the European campaign tomorrow. His intention is to get acclimated to the time changes for the Tour of Murcia, which takes place March 3rd through the 7th. Armstrong will then be competing in Milan-Sanremo on the 20th. Last year he finished in 125th place in the season's first one-day classic.
In the video he gives congratulations to his team for their recent results at the Volta ao Argarve.
“It's a great start for RadioShack in Europe,” said Armstrong.
RadioShack rider Sebastien Rosseler claimed the team's first victory in the Volta ao Algarve's fourth stage. In the stage five time trial, Levi Leipheimer was fourth, which secured his fourth place overall. Teammate Tiago Machado was sixth in the race of truth, which placed him third in the final general classification. Those results put RadioShack on top in the team classification.
Armstrong also congratulated his former Astana teammate and future rival at the Tour de France, Alberto Contador.
“Congrats to Contador. He showed that, as most people would agree, he is the best bike rider in the world right now. Hats off to him,” Armstrong said as he pedaled through the Texas countryside.
With a win in the mountain stage and second place in the time trial on a bike he hadn't ridden before, Contador is showing an early season form that can't be ignored.
As Armstrong admitted, Contador is the best right now, but during July at the Tour de France the American plans on having the upper hand.
Past winners of the Volta ao Algarve include Alex Zülle [Banesto] in 2000, Floyd Landis in 2004 [Postal Service], Alessandro Petacchi in 2007 [Milram], and Stijn Devolder [QuickStep] in 2008.