TARBES, France, (Reuters) – Seven-times champion Lance Armstrong is looking forward to the Alpine stages after losing 21 seconds to Astana team mate Alberto Contador in the first mountain finish of the Tour de France.
“We’ll have more moments there when we’ll see who’s truly the strongest,” Armstrong told reporters yesterday.
The 37-year-old was surprised by Contador’s brutal attack in the ascent to Arcalis on Friday which put the Spaniard two seconds ahead of him in the overall standing as the race leaves the Pyrenees.
“I wouldn’t say that I could have easily followed because it was an impressive attack,” said the American, on his comeback Tour after almost four years in retirement. “I probably could have gone, but I didn’t see it coming, and it wouldn’t be correct for me to go across.
“So I waited for the other guys — I expected them to be able to pull it back, and they didn’t, but that’s life, that’s cycling, and I had to do the right thing.
Italian Rinaldo Nocentini wears the yellow jersey after nine stages of the three-week race. Contador is six seconds behind him with Armstrong third.
The rivalry between Armstrong and 2007 Tour winner Contador is likely to culminate next Sunday with a summit finish in Verbier, Switzerland. Contador, a natural climber, has shown with victories in the Giro, Tour and Vuelta, that he has almost no rivals in the mountains.
But Armstrong, Tour champion from 1999 to 2005, has a plan.
“I think that’s where the race is going to be decided. The combination of those days from Colmar all the way to the top of Ventoux is a very difficult six days,” the Texan said.
Armstrong, who has never won at the top of the Mont Ventoux, will have the perfect opportunity to sign off his comeback Tour in style as the finish at the moonscape mountain is scheduled for the day before the peloton reaches the Champs-Elysees.
“We will wait. The hardest mountain in France is on the last day basically. You can’t forget that,” he said.
With most of the difficulties grouped in the final week — Verbier, Ventoux, an individual time trial and a tough Alpine stage to Le Grand Bornand — Armstrong hopes his preparation will pay off.
“That’s my plan (to raise his level in week three). I hope so. We’ll see. There’s no guarantees — I hope so,” he said.
