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16 June 2005

16 June News ...

Why Lance Armstrong Will Win the Tour de France

Going for Number Seven

by Paco of BiciRace.com

In case you haven't heard, Lance Armstrong is on the verge of doing the unthinkable: achieving seven straight victories in the Tour de France. Armstrong has already made history by being the only cyclist to have earned 6 consecutive Tour victories, a record which will stand for many years. Being a six-time Tour de France champion is a monumental achievement in itself, and should he succeed to win a 7th straight victory, the glory will be all the sweeter. His record will be all the more difficult to beat as he wraps up his phenomenal career with an icing on the cake victory.

There are many riders capable of winning the Tour, however, there are currently no riders that approach the level of precision and the ruthless dedication of Lance Armstrong. Simply put, Armstrong has redefined every aspect of race preparation from training to diet to team selection. As with any grand tour, there are always a number of obstacles to face and overcome, even if you are Lance Armstrong. But if you are Lance Armstrong, you will triumph because you know precisely what you need to do to win.

Armstrong has a stellar squad backing him up. There are even stronger squads in the Tour. Take T-Mobile for example. They have 3 riders that can either win the race or place highly on the podium, but they lack the cohesion of the Discovery Channel team. Armstrong has shown time and again to his team that if they ride themselves into the ground for him, they will be handsomely rewarded. It's easy to support somebody when you have the utmost confidence in him. Ullrich, on the other hand, has never instilled that same sense of confidence in his team, and consequently their approach to the Tour is haphazard at best.

Armstrong is a tactician par excellence. He rarely misses breaks and virtually never misreads a race. Look at the Passage du Gois at the 1999 Tour. When the carnage happened he was seen at the front of the split putting the hammer down. And how about at last year's stage 3 in the Tour when Iban Mayo got caught out in a crash. Where was Armstrong? He was on George Hincapie's wheel at the head of the race putting huge chunks of time into his opponents. Most riders have a sense of where they need to be and when, but for one reason or another they're not able to make it happen. Armstrong never misses.

Furthermore, he rarely suffers health problems that dog a lot of other riders. When was the last time you heard that Armstrong was suffering from a case of tendonitis or weight problems? He's not immune to these problems, but his preparation for an objective is so methodical and thorough that he seems to avoid things that afflict a lot of his opponents.

His physical attributes are second to none, but perhaps his biggest assets are also the most intangible: determination, tenacity and competitive drive. When Armstrong sets an objective he has an almost chilling ability to filter out anything that will keep him from meeting that objective. He will fight tooth and nail when his back is against the wall. Take stage 15 of the 2003 Tour as an example. Armstrong and Mayo went down in a crash that could have put an end to his bid for 5 straight Tour victories. The thought that the race was slipping away from him sent him into a frenzy that saw him not only bridge up to his opponents, but also win the stage.

A lot can happen in a three week stage race. To win you must have great form, a super team, good luck, the ability to avoid accidents and a fierce competitive drive. All riders have these qualities to a degree, but Lance has shown that he has the most complete package of any modern day rider. This is why Lance will win again in 2005.

Read the 92nd Tour de France preview or look at all of the stages.

16 June News ...