Armstrong in third after Tour time trial
Lance Armstrong finds himself in unfamiliar territory at this Tour de France — fighting just to remain among the top three riders. Accustomed to dominating his way to victory, the seven-time Tour winner had to settle for a 16th-place finish in Thursday’s time trial and a tenuous grip on third place.
ANNECY, France (AP) — Lance Armstrong finds himself in unfamiliar territory at this Tour de France — fighting just to remain among the top three riders.
Accustomed to dominating his way to victory, the seven-time Tour winner had to settle for a 16th-place finish in Thursday’s time trial and a tenuous grip on third place.
The 37-year-old Texan battled fatigue in the 18th stage, a 25.2-mile race against the clock around bucolic Lake Annecy that Alberto Contador won in 48 minutes, 31 seconds to close in on the overall victory.
Armstrong was 1:30 behind, but he entered the day in fourth and easily overcame a 30-second deficit to Frank Schleck. The Saxo Bank rider finished 2:34 behind Contador to slip from third to sixth overall, but is only 34 seconds behind Armstrong.
After Thursday’s stage, Armstrong said he had “mixed emotions. Sixteenth in a time trial is not a good result, but my ambition is to get on the podium, so I have to be happy with that.”
Tags: tour de france, sports, cycling, armstrong
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