We’re not done so I’m sure at some point someone will say something.
Advertisement
The leader of the AG2R La Mondiale team has torn strips of skin off his left leg and arms.
Froome then tried a short-lived attack of his own and Quintana also had one last failed attempt, but there was no separating the favourites in what was a fierce battle yet ultimately a stalemate.
Armstrong understands why some people aren’t happy with his decision to return to the Tour right now.
Armstrong rolled out on Tour de France roads on Thursday and pondered why he is treated differently to his contemporaries from a drug-ridden era of cycling.
Glory days… Lance Armstrong rides into Paris in 2004.
“It’s not the Tour, we’re not in the same place, I’m here with the prime minister”, he said.
Armstrong overcame testicular cancer to win the Tour seven straight times between 1999 and 2005. He and Team Sky have been aggressive towards anyone who may dare step out of line. But with no fewer than six uphill stage finishes still to come, there’s everything still to race for. But the Spaniard had started begun the day more than 20 minutes behind the Briton’s pace.
Winding 195km from Lannemezan to the ski resort Plateau De Beille, Stage 12 will see the peloton climbing over 6000m climaxing in the brutal climb to the summit to Plateau De Beille.
But on they ploughed with Rodriguez catching breakaway rider Michal Kwiatkowski, who is set to join Team Sky from Etixx Quick-Step next year, before taking the stage honours.
At the Tour De France, the riders were tackling the toughest portion of the Pyrenees mountains in the 12th stage of the competition, and as if that weren’t hard enough, they also had to do it in wind and rain.
He adds, “There’s a huge need to raise awareness about rhino and elephant poaching”, and that painting rhinos on his bike is “a great way to highlight their plight”. Tour racers were largely indifferent, and Armstrong’s presence wasn’t felt at the race itself.
In a crush of dozens of reporters, Armstrong was asked whether he believed the race was now clean. “My job is to come here, stay calm and answer all the questions”. “I am not a specialist”. “You’re leading the Tour by three minutes [2:52], that’s impressive”.
Australian teammate Richie Porte took second spot on the 10th stage preventing Movistar’s Nairo Quintana a couple of bonus seconds.
Armstrong said he would have enjoyed the experience more without journalists hovering around him. “I think there are plenty of ways of raising money for charity that Lance could do”, said Brian Cookson, president of cycling’s governing body, the UCI, as mentioned by Agence France-Presse. Armstrong is riding two stages, starting with Thursday’s trek from Venerque to Rodez.
The Tour, and Froome, can not escape from Armstrong’s dark shadow, though.
Advertisement
Nibali was 7 minutes, 47 seconds behind race leader Chris Froome, in ninth place overall entering Friday’s stage.
