Tour de Suisse performance doesn't necessarily mean a RadioShack rider will win the Tour, says Armstrong
After a spring disrupted by illness, followed by a crash that forced him to abandon the Tour of California, Lance Armstrong (RadioShack) bounced back last week to finish second in the Tour de Suisse. Whether this means he’s on track to challenge for his eighth Tour de France victory or not, the American is pleasantly surprised by his own performance.
“I’d not expected that,” he told German Eurosport, “because the Tour de Suisse had an excellent field and was raced really hard and so has been a good clue as to what will happen in July. Now it’s important to keep my form and still add on a few percent.”
Armstrong finished the race just 12 seconds behind Saxo Bank’s Fränk Schleck, only managing to beat the Luxemburger by 5 seconds in that time trial. The fact that Schleck managed to perform so well didn’t surprise him though. “The fact that Fränk is a top rider was never a secret,” he said. “Even at the Tour of Luxembourg he was second, ahead of me, and on the Albulapass he was very strong.”
On that long mountain stage to La Punt Armstrong finished in fifth place, 42 seconds behind stage winner Robert Gesink (Rabobank). Having effectively stopped racing after last year’s Tour de France, and having had so much of his season so far disrupted, Armstrong had been unsure how well he would go.
“It was a really tough day,” he said. “Because, as I said, it was my first big mountain stage since last July – and that’s quite a while… Frankly, I suffered at the start of the final climb, but by the end I was better. I only had to find my rhythm when the attacks began. It was a matter of finding the right mix: on one hand follow the attacks, but also not lose my own pace. It was a long day but a good test.
“But what I have shown is not enough to win the Tour,” he admitted. “We still have to get to another level, but this I can do in the next two weeks.”
“It was really hard, and the course didn’t give you any chance to rest. But I felt good, and I climbed to second place overall, so I’m really pleased.”
Previously dominant in time trials during his seven-year reign as Tour de France champion, Armstrong has been less strong in races against the clock since his comeback last year. The 2010 Tour route is less suited to powerful time triallists than recent years though.
“Because my results in time trials over the past two years have been disappointing,” he said, “I’m happy about the fact that there is only one time trial in the Tour. But I must be satisfied, I’m almost 39 years old; 17 years a professional and still with the front-runners – despite all the stupid things I have to read every day.”
Despite his age though, Armstrong will be lining up in Rotterdam next month with one of the strongest teams in the race. Although, he concedes that none of the RadioShack team will be the strongest individual rider. “Yes,” he agreed. “When Andreas Klöden, Levi Leipheimer and I compete in a Grand Tour, we always have more than just a motivated team behind us. I don’t believe that either of us is the favourite for the Tour, but you never know what might happen. We have a strong team, that’s a fact.”
Armstrong points out that many other teams will be sending their most powerful riders to the race, meaning that it will not be an easy ride for RadioShack. “We certainly have one of the strongest teams,” he said, “but that also goes for Saxo Bank. I was also impressed by Robert Gesink at the Tour de Suisse; if his skills combine with those of Denis Menchov and the other Rabobank riders then that will also be a good package.
“And there is still Alberto Contador,” he added, “and several other riders.”
Nevertheless, Armstrong’s method of asserting his authority during his years of Tour dominance was to put his team at the head of the peloton and controlling the race. He expects things to go very much the same way this time around, meaning that at least one member of RadioShack will be challenging for the race. “We will be there at the very front, at the top, that’s for sure,” he said. “I can predict that one of the three of us, Andreas, Levi and I, will be very well placed at the end of the Tour.”