When Lance Armstrong claimed his first yellow jersey on 3 July 1999 he gave millions of people hope. At the age of 27 the all-American champion proved there was life after cancer. He had ridden the Tour de France before, won stages in fact, but victory in his first appearance since he was struck down by the illness was a triumph of spirit. But surely his time in the overall lead of the world’s biggest bike race wouldn’t last much longer than the first week. Aficionados of the event knew his name and they recognized his weaknesses.
Before cancer, the Texan couldn’t climb and his ability in the time trial was reasonable at best. Tactically he’d made more than one faux-pas. He was a star but not a rider capable of holding onto the ‘maillot jaune’.
Lance proved that the cynics were wrong. And he has continued to do so every year.
In the final race of his career there was nothing left to prove. At the age of 33 he had eclipsed the efforts of the greatest cyclists in history in the race which matters most. When Armstrong last raced on the famous Avenue des Champs Elysees he established a new benchmark. Winning six titles was an unobtainable quest. If Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain couldn’t achieve this mark, how could a brash Texan who almost lost his life to cancer reach the elusive tally?
Pure determination powered by a phenomenal physique, directed by a master tactician and support from teams of heroes all contributed to the re-writing of cycling history.
Another major contributing factor to the Hollywood-esque tale of success is the self-confessed insecurity of the rider who sealed his seventh victory in the French capital on the final day as a professional cyclist.
Tell a champion he can’t do something and you fuel his ambition. From 1999 onward there was always someone who suggested they had figured out a way to crack Armstrong’s formula for success. They came, they tried and they failed.
Of the 162 Tour stages he contested since his first day in the yellow jersey, Armstrong has won 21 of them.
It’s not a bad percentage for a man who was told he’d never ride a bike again. If he was lucky, he’d live. Since that diagnosis, he’s not only survived but thrived. Lance lives strong.
His career cannot be summarized in a post-race report or a series of clichés. There’s much more to Lance Armstrong that victories in the Tour de France alone. But after today there’s plenty of time to analyze the impact he’s had on his chosen sport and the hordes of fans who confess that he’s their hero.
Sunday July 24 is Lance Armstrong Day. It marks the end of an era. His achievements can never be repeated. Even if a star emerges tomorrow, it will be a long wait to see if they can match Armstrong’s unprecedented tally of Tour victories. But there’s no chance for any future champions to be Lance’s equal.
He broke new ground in every aspect of cycling. He has shifted the goal posts by focusing on one race and one race alone. “The Tour de France is the biggest race in the world,†said the American on more than one occasion. “And I want to win.â€
The recipe for success was cooked up again by Armstrong and his director Johan Bruyneel this year. He arrived at the start in the Vendee region motivated and prepared. After just 19km of racing in the 92nd Tour, it was obvious that the defending champion was ready to match every challenge his rivals could throw at him.
A lot of anticipation was gone after the first stage when Lance finished a close second to his compatriot Dave Zabriskie. The CSC rider was one revelation of this year’s race but he never got a chance to test his legs in the mountains during his debut Tour. He abandoned at the end of the extremely fast first week. During the first eight days over 1,300km were raced at over 47km/h!
Zabriskie contributed to this rapid average. He set a record for a time trial, completing the opening stage at 54.676km/h – the fastest ever in the Tour. Three days later when Zabriskie crashed, Armstrong and his colleagues established another record: the quickest team time trial ever – 67.5km at 57.324km/h. But it would not be until the penultimate day that Armstrong earned the last stage victory of his career, which was also his first win of the 2005 season.
When he crossed the line in 118th place in the final stage Armstrong claimed his second victory of the year. And what a win it was! “To end my career with this podium is perfect,†declared Armstrong from the centre of the Champs-Elysees. He stood alongside Ivan Basso and Jan Ullrich, the two riders considered the most likely to win the title in the first year of the post-Armstrong Era.
The final stage of the 92nd Tour was, however, won by a man who refuses to concede defeat until he has absolutely no other option. Alexandre Vinokourov was the first rider to animate the 21st stage when he attacked the peloton on the approach to the first of two intermediate sprints. He began the day in sixth place overall, claimed six seconds worth of bonuses in Chatenay-Malabry and began the Parisian laps on the same time as the rider in fifth overall, Levi Leipheimer.
Although the race for general classification was effectively neutralized for the eight laps because rain fell as the peloton entered Paris, ‘Vino’ demonstrated that he had unfinished business.
While opportunists scampered ahead in mini-escapes on the Champs-Elysees the teams of the main sprint finish protagonists reeled them all in with less than three kilometers to go. Then, on the Quai des Tuileries ‘Vino’ chased down a move by Laurent Brochard. Suddenly he was in the lead of the stage with less than 1,500m to go. Brad McGee followed his lead and the Kazakh and Australian raced under the one kilometer with an unbeatable advantage on the peloton. In the dying meters ‘Vino’ blasted into the lead. Not even the stage winner could believe the coup he had just achieved. Not only did he win for the second time in the 2005 Tour, he elevated himself from sixth overall to fifth thanks to the time bonuses acquired for the victory.
Lance Armstrong is now officially retired. The next Tour is an open race again. It’s impossible to suggest who his heir will be.
Yaroslav Popovych is a team-mate, a winner of the youth classification and a likely candidate for next year’s crown. Ivan Basso has all the traits of a champion after finishing one step higher on the podium than 12 months ago. Jan Ullrich still dreams of another title and although it’s likely that 2006 will be his last year as a professional he must be favored to add a second win to his resume.
Other likely challengers have emerged during the 2005 race. Leipheimer may have lost his fifth place in the final meters but he is strong when it matters. Another American also stands a chance, for Floyd Landis was in the top 10 during his first year with leadership responsibilities. Other hopes for next year’s race are the ever-present Francisco Mancebo, the perpetual-aggressor Oscar Pereiro Sio and the Tour virgin this year, Cadel Evans – an Australian who finished eighth this year and is clearly strong in every facet required for success in the biggest race of all.
For now, however, it’s time to savor the end of the remarkable Armstrong Era. Congraulations Lance! Farewell. Goodbye. And Amen. What a ride you have taken us on! Thanks for the memories.
