Team RadioShack leader Lance Armstrong has expressed his satisfaction with his performance in yesterday’s prologue time trial in the Tour de Luxembourg, saying that he responded well to the demands of the 2.7 kilometre test.
“I felt good. It was obviously short and fast, probably not my specialty but I felt pretty good,” he stated after netting fifth . “There were times when you had to accelerate, to use absolute power and I felt I had that. I am happy.”
The Texan completed the prologue in a time 9.11 seconds off that of the winner Jimmy Engoulvent (Saur Sojasun), who dominated the test. The Frenchman was a full 8.14 seconds ahead of his compatriot Cyril Lemonie (Saur Sojasun), who took second. Armstrong’s team-mate Gregory Rast was third.
Armstrong’s morale will be buoyed as a result of yesterday’s race. He was unable to stay with the best riders in the mountains at the recent Tour of California and then crashed out of the event. He also faced allegations of doping from former team-mate Floyd Landis.
The latter is something that will play out over time, but the injuries from his crash have almost completely abated. “My eye healed up…that is good,” he said. “My elbow is still a little tender. It has been a year of speed bumps, false starts: the stomach problem in Sarthe, the crash in California. Now we have to minimize all these issues and try to get ready. That’s why we came to Luxembourg. To get ready for the Tour, I need power and good body weight. [My] weight is already good. Power, almost.”
Armstrong has competed very little this year. He got things off to an early start when he once again lined out in the Tour Down Under in January, then went on to the Vuelta a Murcia and Criterium International. He was dropped in the mountains there but put on a respectable showing in the time trial, and also in the subsequent Tour of Flanders.
A stomach problem saw him pull out during the Circuit de la Sarthe, and also miss the Ardennes Classics. He returned to racing in the Tour of the Gila and also competed in four stages of the Tour of California.
It’s been scrappy, but he’s hoping that he’s still got time to hit top form. “We’re here, it’s early June now, it’s time to try and minimize all these distractions and the potential issues,” Armstrong said, according to AP. “I hope (I will be ready for the Tour). That’s the reason I came here, to get four or five extra race days. Hopefully Switzerland will provide those too. Indications we’re getting now are good, and the indications we were getting in California before the crash were good.”
He was asked about the Landis allegations, which reportedly have led to an investigation from USADA and the FDA.
“I wouldn’t say it’s quiet,” Armstrong responded. “But nobody needs to feel sorry for me, I’m fine.”
The Tour of Luxembourg continues today with a lumpy 179.9 kilometre race to Herperange. The race runs until Sunday, after which the RadioShack rider will compete in the Tour de Suisse.