/ 21 July 2005

Armstrong’s team shine in France

Lance Armstrong’s teammates are doing a better job of beating him than his rivals are.

Armstrong’s Discovery Channel teammate Paolo Savoldelli won Wednesday’s 17th stage of the Tour de France, three days after George Hincapie earned a stage victory of his own. Meanwhile, Armstrong has yet to win an individual stage so far.

”I’m not bummed out at all,” Armstrong said.

And he shouldn’t be. The six-time defending champion donned his 79th yellow jersey — only Belgian great Eddy Merckx has more — after holding his overall lead through the Tour’s longest stage.

Armstrong remained two minutes and 46 seconds ahead of his nearest challenger, Ivan Basso of Italy, and on course for his seventh straight Tour victory before retirement.

”It just keeps getting better,” Armstrong said.

With Armstrong’s win seemingly secure — only an accident or an alarming drop in form stands in his way — the battle for second and third is far more uncertain.

Basso was in second place and Mickael Rasmussen was third, while Ullrich needs to make up serious time to avoid finishing off the podium for only the second time in his Tour career. He was fourth last year.

Ullrich, the 1997 Tour winner, trails Armstrong by five minutes and 58 seconds, and is 3:12 behind Basso and 2:49 behind Rasmussen. He has little chance of catching Basso, so his priority now is to pass Rasmussen on the penultimate-stage time trial in Saint-Etienne.

”I’m still working hard for it, I will keep on fighting as hard as I can. There are two more stages and then a time trial where I can make up time,” Ullrich said. ”Rasmussen is not known as a good time-trial rider.”

Rasmussen finished 2:06 behind Ullrich in 174th place in the opening-stage time trial, which was more than 34,9km shorter than the 55,5km route around Saint-Etienne on July 23. Ullrich should have a significant edge because he’s able to maintain a much higher tempo than Rasmussen over long distances.

”We will see if I can do enough to get on the podium,” Ullrich said.

He finished 22nd in Wednesday’s 239,5km trek across southern France from Pau to Revel — the longest stage of this year’s race.

Armstrong was 23rd, and both finished 22:28 behind Savoldelli.

The Texan tied Bernard Hinault, the last Frenchman to win the Tour in 1985, for the second-most yellow jerseys — and could overtake him after Thursday’s 18th stage, a 169km run from Albi to Mende where he will look to conserve his lead rather than attack.

Armstrong came into this Tour with 66 jerseys and, if he holds the lead to Paris, would retire with 83. Merckx won 111 in the 1960s and 1970s, but Armstrong has more Tour titles — a record six compared with five for Merckx, Hinault, Miguel Indurain and Jacques Anquetil.

Savoldelli’s win was the third for Armstrong’s Discovery Channel team at this Tour.

Hincapie won in the Pyrenees and the squad also won the team time trial over Basso’s Team CSC by just two seconds. Armstrong will try to beat Ullrich and Basso in Saturday’s time trial before riding one last time on Paris’s famed Champs-Elysees with the customary glass of champagne in hand.

Savoldelli’s time was 5:41,19, and he rode at an average of 42kph to claim his first Tour win.

”It’s been a very lucky year for me,” said the 32-year-old cyclist, who also won his second Giro d’Italia this year.

He could become the new Discovery Channel leader when Armstrong retires.

”There is only one Armstrong,” Savoldelli said. ”The more I see him, the more I realise that he is on another planet.” — Sapa-AP