Lance Armstrong, Tour de France 2010 stage 3
The old days of Lance Armstrong's team controlling the Tour de France are over. His RadioShack team suffered at the hands of Saxo Bank in Tuesday's stage three to Arenberg, letting Andy Schleck's Saxo Bank hammer at the head over the cobbled roads.
Without RadioShack at the front, Armstrong was vulnerable to losing time to crashes or mechanicals. In sector four, Sars-et-Rosières, disaster struck. Andy Schleck's brother, Fränk, crashed and held up Armstrong. Unlike many other favourites, though, Armstrong lost further time to a punctured tyre.
When Armstrong ruled the Tour de France for seven years (1999 to 2005), he kept his US Postal/Discovery Channel team on the front at all times to avoid such mishaps. Today, though, RadioShack showed it lacked strength or perhaps lacked faith in their leader's ability.
"That's just the nature of the sport," said Armstrong. "Some times you're the hammer and sometimes you're the nail. Today I was the nail, but I had plenty of days where I was the hammer."
He continued to rattle off clichés, perhaps preparing for a political career. First though, he plans on fighting for Tour de France win number eight, making up his one minute and 21 second deficit to Schleck.
Armstrong said, "I am not going home."
Tour de France 2010: Latest news
Thomas in tour's white jersey; Wiggins gains time
Evans and Schleck gain in Tour's hell of the north
The Feed Zone: Tour news and views (July 6)
Vande Velde abandons Tour following crash
Andy Schleck has a laugh after stage two crash
The Feed Zone: News and views (July 5)
Sky banks on Thomas ahead of cobbled stage
Cavendish's sprint train weakened with Hansen out
Armstrong under fire as Landis allegations reach mainstream
Team Sky's decision to put Wiggins off early back fires
Tour de France 2010: Stage reports
Stage three: Hushovd takes dramatic win; Thomas second on stage and GC
Stage three live coverage: As it happened
Stage two: Comeback man Chavanel takes victory in Spa
Stage one: Petacchi wins in Brussels as bunch left in tatters
Prologue: Cancellara pips Martin to win
Tour de France 2010: Photos
Stage three photo gallery
Stage two photo gallery
Stage one gallery
Prologue photo gallery
Tour de France 2010: Videos
Stage three video highlights
Stage two video highlights
Stage one video highlights
Prologue video highlights
Tour de France 2010: Race guide
Tour de France 2010: Cycling Weekly's coverage index
Official start list, with race numbers
Brits at the Tour 2010
Tout team guide
Tour jerseys: What they are and what they mean
Brits in the Tours: From Robinson to Wiggins
Tour de France 2010: Pictures
Tour team presentation, Rotterdam
Tour teams take to the cobbles: Photo special
Reader comments
Add your comments
Focus
July 07 12:32
Why do CW appear to write every Armstrong article with an Anti-Armstrong slant? Yesterday's bad luck has nothing to do with any other issues yet you seem to allow your personal dislike to shine through in your writing.
Enrico
July 07 13:48
I think Gregor Brown has quite a dislike for Lance and has let his dislike for Lance get in the way of doing his job properly, anyone could write this rubbish. The man has one bad day and you let your feelings take over and write this drivel. This article doesn't say more that you dislike Lance Armstrong. At least Lance had the guts to admit that the other guys where better than him and had a bit more luck than him on the stage.
mike
July 07 13:58
You guys are pathetic. Ever wonder why you're not as popular worldwide than other cycling websites? Its because you let personal opinion drive your writing. I thought Lionel was the only donkey on your staff that had an inferiority complex. Report on the TDF and cycling...not LANCE!
Keith
July 07 18:15
News articles full of bias, intolerance and opinion is one reason I don't bother reading newspapers any more. It a bit sad when a magazine reporting a sport I take part in as a hobby takes itself so seriously and starts doing the same. Lighten up guys, it's supposed to be fun! You are beginning to be boring and tedious to me at least. But hey, what do i know, I think Clarkson is boring too :-) At least with Twitter I can unfollow, would you want me to do that with the print edition too??
Graham
July 08 09:48
These comments appear to relate to a different article than the one I just read, which reported the facts and then added a couple of lines of humour (or 'humor' to Americans suffering from a sense of 'humor' failure). Without some form of opinion, news items would just be a me-too, by-numbers McQuote-a-thon. You can read regurgitated newswire pieces anywhere on the web. I'd rather see Cycling Weekly's writers express an opinion, even if I don't agree with it. Carry on.
patricia
July 08 10:06
I didn't really read the article as anti-Lance. In fact the quotes that they reported from him were pretty humble by Lance standards. To me it seemed more of a refelection that in the Old Days his team-mates would have been there to rally round, fight over who was going to donate their bike to him, and shepherd him back to the front before you'd even noticed that there was a problem. On Tuesday however he was left isolated and fighting for his own survival. I don't think that the CW is a wealthy enough publication to start being too anti-Lance. It would simply herald their financial ruin!
Drstrangelove
July 08 17:17
This story isn't even mildly critical. Why is it when some yank reads a story that they don't agree with they take offence.