RadioShack's captain Lance Armstrong rode the Tour of Flanders today as part of his preparation for July's Tour de France and, while many doubted his intentions to ride hard in Belgium's biggest race, the American quieted his detractors by putting in a solid performance. Going into the year's second big Classic Armstrong played down expectations, but rode attentively in the main chase group to finish the race in 27th place.
Some had predicted that Armstrong would pack it in at the feed zone and call it a day, but the RadioShack rider found himself organizing the chase with 51 kilometers remaining, when his group was caught out by a strong acceleration from Team Sky.
The American received criticism for his lackluster performance in the Critérium International recently, where both he and Tour de France favorite Alberto Contador were dropped on the final climb of the first stage. Contador came back in the closing time trial with a blistering performance, while Armstrong's effort showed what he had already forewarned; there was still a lot of work left before he would be ready for the Grande Boucle.
Today's ride in the Tour of Flanders will be a morale booster for Armstrong. There is no pretending in the "Ronde", so his condition is clearly improving.
It wasn't all good news for the RadioShack team as their best chance for a result in the race, Sébastien Rosseler, flatted twice in quick succession which quickly ended his day. Rosseler has the only win for the RadioShack team, which came in the 4th stage of the Volta ao Algarve, a race won by Contador.