2009 Tour de France Day Four

The 2009 Tour de France kicked off July 4 with a 9.6 mile individual time trial (TT) in Monaco. I’ve already watched each of the first four stages a couple times (Versus isn’t afraid to rebroadcast each stage several times a day). My wife doesn’t understand how I can watch the same stage when a.) I’ve already watched it live, and b.) I know who wins. I give her my standard response for when I don't have an answer, “It’s complicated.”

This year’s Tour features 21 stages – 8 mountain stages with three mountain-top finishes, two individual time trials, and one team time trial (a 24.2-mile flat stage around Montpellier). I love the mountain-top finishes, but I was most excited about the team time trial (today’s stage). They are exciting to watch and give the GC contenders on better teams another opportunity to open up some time gaps on the guys with weaker teams (sorry Cadel). I think the last team time trial was in 2006, so it’s good to see that Tour organizers brought it back.

But the big news at this year’s Tour, and in all of cycling, is obviously the return of 7-time champ Lance Armstrong. As soon as he announced his return to cycling, the questions started – Will his ride in the Tour? Can he win again at age 37? Who will be the team leader? Will teammate Alberto Contador (2007 Tour winner) ride in support of Lance, or will Lance support him? What about Levi, another top GC guy on team Astana?

We saw Lance ride in support of Levi at the Tour of California (Contador was not there), and although it was strange to see, it was clear that Lance’s focus was on the team and his cancer awareness mission. But that was California. France is a different beast.

After breaking his collarbone in the spring, it seemed likely that Lance would not be able to get in the required training for the Tour, but somehow, he managed to ride in May’s Giro (12th overall) and seems ready for the Tour. Well, as ready as a 37 year old can be.

So the questions remain, did Lance do enough in training camps to beat out Contador? Will close friend and team director Johan Bruyneel name Lance the leader regardless of who the stronger rider is? That answer seemed to come last week via Tweeter when Lance announced he would ride in support of Contador. I think we all saw it coming. Contador is at the top of his game, not to mention 10 years younger.

But check out this AP article posted just before the start of the Tour:

PARIS (AP)—Lance Armstrong says he’s capable of winning an eighth Tour de France but is ready, if necessary, to put his ambitions on hold for teammate and rival Alberto Contador.

Contador and Armstrong will ride for the Astana team at the three-week race that starts Saturday.

In an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday, Armstrong says he’s willing to work as a support rider for Contador if the Spaniard proves likelier to win.

Armstrong says he would do so out of respect for Contador, Astana and cycling tradition and that “I would do it with pleasure.”

In the telephone interview, Armstrong says he isn’t sure he can win the Tour again at age 37 but that people would be wrong to underestimate him.

Notice the “ifs” and “buts” in Lance’s quotes? It’s clear that Lance might make a move. If he loses time in first few mountain stages, I’m sure he will gladly play that support role, just like he promised. But he’s currently in 2nd place, and if he holds his ground in the Pyrenees, I suspect we will see some fireworks in the Alps. The team will have two riders fighting it out. And I’m sure Levi will be right in someone’s slip stream all along the way. And let’s not forget Kloden. All on the same team!
It’s happened before. Most famously in 1985 when team management ordered LeMond to ride in support of his team captain Bernard Hinault, instead of riding to win the race, which he could have done. Lemond, in the spirit of cycling tradition, supported Hinault and finished second, 1:42 behind Hinault, who was able to claim his fifth Tour victory. The following year, Hinault and LeMond were co-leaders of the La Vie Claire team, with Hinault publicly promising to ride in support of LeMond in gratitude for LeMond's sacrifice. But Hinault seemed to change his mind in the mountains and attacked Lemond, with the help of his Euro teammates. Lemond fought back and won that Tour, basically solo. Too bad he’s become such a jerk these days. He was the original American bad ass of cycling.

Anyway, I don’t think we’ll see that kind of drama, but it will be interesting. I’m just hoping nobody gets popped for doping. Thomas Dekker was busted last week. A blood sample from 2007 was re-tested and EPO was detected. He wasn’t a contender, but a strong rider who would have helped Cadel Evans’ chances on a very weak Silence-Lotto team.

Tour contenders:
Alberto Contador, Astana
Levi Leipheimer, Astana
Lance Armstrong, Astana
Dennis Menchov, Rabobank
Cadel Evans, Silence-Lotto
Carlos Sastre, Cervelo Test Team
Brothers Andy and Frank Schleck of Saxo Bank

I think we could see two Astana guys on the podium in Paris. I just hope Lance is one of them.