The Tour de France is still more than eight months from now, but the much-awaited duel between Alberto Contador and his illustrious challenger Lance Armstrong has already begun.
 
The Spanish champion and the American veteran, third this year after an impressive comeback following 3-1/2 years in retirement, both attended the 2010 route presentation in Paris on Wednesday.
 
Seated in the second row of the Palais des Congres, they were only separated by Luxembourg’s Andy Schleck, one of the riders hoping to settle the dispute with victory on the Champs Elysees on July 25.
 
Contador and Armstrong shook hands on Wednesday, but the tension between the two was already palpable.
 
The Spaniard, who has won every Grand Tour he has raced since claiming his first Tour de France in 2007, will be the hot favourite when next year’s event kicks off in Rotterdam.
 
He is the best climber, and Fabian Cancellara — not an overall contender — looks like the only man able to beat him in a time trial.
 
With four stages in the Pyrenees and a total of 23 passes, it is hard to imagine that Armstrong can compete.
 
But the Texan is 38 years old and has the experience that goes along with it.
 
While Contador is still unsure about his future — Astana ? Garmin ? Quick Step ? — former Astana man Armstrong has already set up his new team, bringing Levi Leipheimer and probably Andreas Kloeden to RadioShack.  

The American outfit, given a Pro-Tour Licence on Friday, will no doubt be strong.
 
Contador still does not know who will be his lieutenants next season. If he stays at Astana, he will be able to rely on Alexander Vinokourov, but who else? He wants Haimar Zubeldia to stay but the Spaniard is willing to join Armstrong.
 
Armstrong is ready to start preparing for the 2010 Tour, Contador is not.
 
Before the race enters the mountains, the first week will be potentially treacherous. Armstrong has the experience to deal with it, while Contador sometimes has problems holding his nerve. Not good when you are set to face strong crosswinds and nasty cobblestones in Northern France.
 
Basically, Armstrong has until July 6 — the Tour third stage with 13 km of cobbled sections — to unsettle Contador. After that, it could be too late.

PHOTO: From L to R : Champion cyclists Lance Armstrong of the U.S., Andy Schleck of Luxembourg and Alberto Contador of Spain attend a news conference in Paris October 14, 2009 to announce the itinerary of the 2010 Tour de France. REUTERS/Jacky Naegelen

Alberto Contador is closing in on Tour de France victory having won the 18th stage on Thursday, a time trial in Annecy.

If he succeeds, and I have no doubt he will, the Spaniard will owe it to nobody but himself.

Since the Tour started –- and even before –- Contador has felt like an outsider at Astana. Team manager Johan Bruyneel is much closer to Lance Armstrong, who was gunning for an unprecedented eighth victory in the world’s greatest race.

It all started when Armstrong announced his return to competitive cycling last September. Two months later, the Astana riders were in a training camp in Tenerife with Armstrong, Bruyneel and Contador holding a press conference.

After that, I spoke to Bruyneel and he said he had been a bit bored since the American retired after his record seventh win on the Tour in 2005. Had Contador’s 2007 Tour victory not really thrilled Bruyneel?

Since the Tour started, Armstrong’s presence has failed to get to Contador, who has snatched every opportunity to prove his worth.

He was the favourite in the opening time trial (2nd behind Cancellara), he beat all the Tour hopefuls in Arcalis and won the stage in Verbier. On Wednesday, he did not need anyone’s help to resist the Schleck brother’s relentless attacks.

Behaving like the race boss, he did not work during the descent from the Col de la Colombiere, awarding one of the Schlecks the stage win in compensation.

Far behind was Armstrong, who was the perfect team mate on the day –- until he criticised Contador again for attacking in the final climb on Wednesday.

PHOTO: Astana rider Alberto Contador of Spain wears the leader’s yellow jersey on the podium after the 17th stage of the 96th Tour de France cycling race between Bourg Saint Maurice and Le Grand Bornand, July 22, 2009. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard

Tarbes-Lourdes airport, Sunday, around 6pm.

Lance Armstrong is greeted by massive cheers as he enters the airport before boarding the plane taking the Tour de France riders to Limoges for their first rest day.

Alberto Contador signs a few autographs. Both riders did not exchange a look, let alone a word, in the bus that was taking them to the airport.

Armstrong leaves the rest of the Astana team for an interview with French TV while Contador gets on board.

As I get into the plane, I am quite surprised not to see him in one of the two front rows with a ‘do not occupy’ tag.

I struggle past a few riders to find a seat towards the back of the plane and there is Contador with team mate Andreas Kloeden.

Armstrong arrives and takes a seat in the front row next to team manager Johan Bruyneel, the man behind his seven Tour de France triumphs.

As the plane takes off, Contador bends his cap infront of his eyes and has a quick nap. Later Kloeden gives him his video game and the Spaniard plays for a few minutes.

Then we chat. He won’t name Armstrong, but reckons: “My legs cannot betray me even once.”

The crucial part of the race is set to start on Saturday in the Alps. Then we will see who is really in front of whom.

PHOTO: Astana rider Alberto Contador of Spain (R) cycles with his team mate Lance Armstrong of the U.S. during the ninth stage of the 96th Tour de France cycling race between Saint Gaudens and Tarbes, July 12, 2009. REUTERS/Bogdan Cristel

Lance Armstrong returned to his favourite stage four years after winning a record seventh consecutive Tour de France and set a respectable time in the opening time trial.

The 18th rider to set off in Monaco, Armstrong clocked 20 minutes 12 seconds for the 15.5-km course to briefly top the standings. He ended up in 10th spot behind Fabian Cancellara in the yellow jersey.

“I was a bit nervous but it is logical,” the 37-year-old told reporters. “What a beautiful race. It was fun. I felt pretty good, overall, I feel good. I was a little bit all over the place.”

It is THE question the Tour de France caravan has been asking in the crowded restaurants of Monaco: Can the returning Lance Armstrong really live in peace and harmony with Alberto Contador, the 2007 winner and the American’s team leader?

Astana team director Johan Bruyneel says there is no rivalry whatsoever between the two riders before Saturday’s start.

“Alberto is our leader at the start and we gave him the number one in the team simply because the last three Tours (Tour, Giro and Vuelta) he entered he won. I discussed it with Lance and he agreed,” Bruyneel told reporters.

“A rivalry is always a good story for the media but there is no rivalry. We’re entering this Tour as a team. There will be attempts to divide the team, but we’re united, we don’t have a row.”

Bruyneel suggested the press asked questions about a possible rivalry between Contador and another of his team-mates, Levi Leipheimer, who finished close to him in the 2007 Tour and last year’s Vuelta.

“Or why don’t you ask yourself questions about a possible rivalry in the Saxobank team between Frank and Andy Schleck. After all, they’re brothers, it’s a good story,” he said.

The answer, and he knows it well, is very simple. Lancemania is hitting Monaco and journalists flocking the auditorium for a Contador news conference only had questions about the seven-times champion.

Bruyneel has tried hard to describe his Astana team as a happy family.

“There is the language barrier, cultural differences but Contador speaks better English than you think”, the team boss said. Then Contador immediately turned towards the translator to enquire about what was just said…

It has been quite a day in the world of sport, especially for tired sports journalists.

Rafael Nadal lost to Robin Soderling in the fourth round at the French Open. Yes you read that right. The four-time champion’s 31-match winning streak at Roland Garros is over.

Less of a surprise was Carlo Ancelotti saying he was leaving as AC Milan soccer coach, although he refused to confirm he is heading for Chelsea.

To cap a frenetic day, Russia’s Denis Menchov won the Giro d’Italia despite falling over only seconds from the line.

I forgot why I love sport so much….

The Giro d’Italia descended into farce on Sunday when riders decided the route through Milan was too dangerous…having already started the stage.

The results from the stage did not count towards the general classification and the riders all stopped at one point with race leader Danilo Di Luca trying to explain the decision to angry crowds after someone handed him a microphone.

Spain’s Pedro Horrillo Munoz fell down a 60m ravine on a part-mountain stage on Saturday and is lucky to be alive, partly prompting the riders’ protest.

We all appreciate sport can be dangerous but their argument that the route through Milan’s city centre posed huge dangers has not been shared by fans and organisers.

Boos rang out and Giro chief Angelo Zomegnan has not ruled out sanctions against the riders.

Surely most cycling races through cities encounter parked cars and tramlines? If you have mountain stages there are going to be precarious sections.

I do sympathise with cyclists when it comes to those people who like to race them on foot during a stage and surely get in the way. That I would protest about.

PHOTOS: Italy’s Danilo Di Luca (R) talks with Ivan Basso (C) and Astana rider Lance Armstrong (L) of the U.S. during the ninth stage of the Giro d’Italia, starting and finishing in Milan, May 17, 2009. The stage did not count towards the general classification because of a rider protest over safety. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

It is easy to forget that sportspeople often risk their lives to effectively entertain.

As Nick and Alan pointed out in recent Formula One blogs, motor racing is essentially still dangerous.

Seeing Ricky Hatton flat on his back after being hammered by Manny Pacquiao was another reminder while I recently watched a Serie A soccer game in anguish as a Reggina player lost consciousness after a collision and basically had his life saved by a physio.

The number of nasty falls in the Giro d’Italia cycling race has also been alarming.

If there was any doubt about the risks, the tale of skiier Daniel Albrecht says it all.

The Swiss suffered severe head injuries in a fall in downhill training in Kitzbuehel in January.

“The first days of consciousness were tough,” he told reporters this week.

“I had to teach myself how to talk again, how to do everything again. They showed me a picture of a butterfly. I knew how to describe it, to say it had wings and legs but I didnt know what it was called.

“It was frustrating. Like the day when they asked me my age. I didn’t know.”

PHOTO: Switzerland’s Daniel Albrecht crashes on the Streif slope during the last practice for the Alpine Skiing World Cup downhill race in Kitzbuehel January 22, 2009. REUTERS/Calle Toernstroem

So how do you hold a bike race in a city with no roads?

Drain the canals? Make the riders wear snorkels? Sadly the answer is much simpler.

The centenary Giro d’Italia, with Lance Armstrong in tow, starts in Venice on Saturday with a team time trial. The race takes place on the Lido, a sandbar east of the city which protects this stunning place from the ravages of the Mediterranean.

The Lido has a couple of canals but also has a few roads, meaning the cyclists don’t need to get wet.

I have to say I haven’t seen much Giro fever walking around Venice today. The usual tourist crowds seem oblivious. Even the cycling-mad Italians are not as excited as they might be.

Judging by the letters page in Friday’s Gazzetta dello Sport, the raft of doping allegations which have hit Italian cycling in recent years have taken their toll and fans have slipped away.

There doesn’t seem to have been a security crackdown either, except for a couple of police officers trying to arrest a street performer on stilts…

Only in Venice.

PHOTO: Astana rider Lance Armstrong of the United States poses with gondoliers after an official presentation in Saint Mark’s square in Venice, May 7, 2009. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

It’s not Lance Armstrong’s first comeback, he has a natural ability to defy the odds, he is in the best possible squad.

That’s what we heard in September when the seven-times Tour de France winner said he was coming back to competitive racing.

But during the time the American has been back on the bike, that impression has dramatically changed.

A man who knew how to stay out of trouble when in the bunch has turned into one who has crashed three times since his first race in January. The last crash, at the Tour of Castilla y Leon, was the worst.

Riding in the middle of the peloton, Armstrong failed to move up the bunch when the race was approaching tricky roads. The Astana rider ended up holding his arm in a ditch, squirming with pain after breaking his collarbone.

Before the incident, an unnamed rider taking part in the race said: “We saw this guy riding like a neo-professional, looking like he was scared on the bike. When we realised it was Armstrong, we were stunned.”

Armstrong will be at the start of the Giro d’Italia on May 9 and we will have little indication about his form since he has only just returned at the low-key Tour of the Gila in New Mexico.

However, there are signs he is losing the ability to race at the highest level. Had he had more time, perhaps he would have had a chance of winning the Tour de France. Now it looks very unlikely.

PHOTO: Lance Armstrong rides in the Castilla y Leon before his fall, Mar.23 2009. REUTERS/Felix Ausin Ordon