Lance Armstrong promised on Tuesday not to try to overhaul his Astana team mate Alberto Contador as overall race leader but still allowed himself to dream of an eighth Tour de France victory.
The 37-year-old American, back in the saddle after three-and-a-half years in retirement, is second overall, one minute 37 seconds behind the Spaniard after the 16th stage.
A team leader who would not share the power when he was dominating the Tour from 1999 to 2005, Armstrong said: “I’m comfortable and happy (being second)… Details
Astana’s tactical nous helped stamp out Saxo Bank’s efforts to unsettle overall Tour de France leader Alberto Contador on Tuesday and has given them extra confidence for the next mountain stage. Astana were tested by the rival team’s attack in the Alps but came through without Contador losing any time after the Spaniard, German Andreas Kloeden and seven-times champion Lance Armstrong finished the 16th stage in a group of favourites.
“We knew what was going to happen,†Astana team manager Johan Bruyneel told reporters.
“It was obvious, with (Fabian) Cancellara and (Jens) Voigt in the breakaway. When we saw that, we kind of figured out what their plan was: put two riders in front and try to attack from behind and have at least four riders together to launch an attack.â€Â  … Details
Alberto Contador has kept the overall lead in the Tour de France after another ride in the Alps, with Lance Armstrong clinging to second place.
Mikel Astarloza of Spain won the 16th stage Tuesday, a 99-mile route from the Swiss town of Martigny to Bourg-Saint-Maurice. Contador and Armstrong finished in the main pack behind Astarloza and other breakaway riders.
Armstrong, a seven-time champion, had to catch up to Contador after several attackers burst ahead in the second of two long climbs.
Contador, the 2007 champion, leads Armstrong by …Â Detail
Lance Armstrong can concentrate on winning the hearts of the French public after team mate Alberto Contador asserted his authority on the Tour de France by hammering the field in the first Alpine stage.
Armstrong’s dream of winning an eighth Tour vanished in the last five kilometres of the ascent to Verbier on Sunday, when Spaniard Contador flew solo to take the yellow jersey.
“I’m really happy, perfectly happy, to be a domestique. If someone like Contador shows today, `Hey, I’m the best,’ you have to accept it,†the 37-year-old American said.
Another Tour de France is now starting for Armstrong, a rider who never been a popular figure in the country…Â Details