Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong finished in the lead group in the Cape Argus cycle tour around the Cape Peninsula on Sunday.
The American star made a break inside the last kilometre of the 110km race to create an opening for his Team RadioShack teammate Daryl Impey, a strong sprinter.
In an all-South African podium, Impey finished third behind Malcolm Lange and Christoff van Heerden.
With a strong head wind hampering the riders, the winning time was a relatively slow 2:39,55.
Armstrong was placed ninth, with all the leading riders credited with the same time.
Lange, who won the race for the third time, said Armstrong’s presence “added a lot of stature” to Africa’s biggest cycling event, which attracted 35 000 cyclists.
But Lange said Armstrong under-estimated the force of the wind at the finish.
“Lance tried to go with a kilometre to go but I don’t think he realised how strong the wind blows down here in the Cape. I think their plan was to make me go early but I waited. With about 150m to go I knew I had it.”
Lange’s Medscheme team organised a breakaway just over 30km from the finish as the cyclists entered the climb around Chapman’s Peak drive.
Armstrong and Impey stayed with the lead bunch of 12 riders through to the finish.
Armstrong’s participation ended a week in Cape Town, organised primarily to raise funds for a foundation which encourages participation in sport for under-privileged children.
He said before the race that he wanted to “ride with intent” but to “stay out of trouble” in an event in which Impey was his only teammate. – AFP