Left field

Armstrong re-retires, says no way back this time

It’s been a sad week in sport in some ways, with two modern greats announcing their retirements with immediate effect.

Admittedly, we knew long ago that we’d already seen by far the best of both Ronaldo, who called it a day on Monday, and Lance Armstrong, who announced on Wednesday his “retirement 2.0″.

Armstrong first quit the sport in 2005 after racking up a seventh successive Tour de France victory, an incredible achievement by any standard. The man who survived testicular cancer that had spread to his brain and lungs, undergoing coruscating courses of chemotherapy, gave us a story that was truly inspiring.

He returned to the sport in 2009, finishing third in his first year back and 23rd in 2010, his last attempt at the race.

I covered the Tour de France for Reuters in 2001 and saw him make it three in a row. He was under a huge amount of scrutiny over doping even then, with many people simply refusing to believe his achievements could possibly be coming unaided.

He has never had a positive test, though and has consistently denied ever taking performance enhancing drugs. “They can keep looking,” he told reporters in Australia last month. “If you’re trying to hide something, you wouldn’t keep getting away with it for 10 years. Nobody is that clever.”

Back in 2001, I recall writing that Armstrong had made some headway in his battle for more than grudging respect from Europe. He spoke French and Spanish to the media and fans and was careful not to sound boastful about his achievements, even though he knew full well just how much better he was than his two great rivals that year, Jan Ullrich and Joseba Beloki. If the people didn’t love him exactly, the mood was maybe sort of heading that way.

Armstrong makes good Tour start but what next?

“Since I started, I’ve been at the front of my sport,” Lance Armstrong told me before the start of the Tour de France.

Whether you like him or not, it’s quite true.

At almost 39, Armstrong is still in the game and rode impressively in Saturday’s 8.9-km prologue in Rotterdam.

“Step by step, it’s getting better. I’m pretty content with it,” he said.

The sweetest thing for Armstrong may have been the fact he beat Alberto Contador for the first time in a time trial since his comeback last year.

The Spaniard, arguably the strongest Grand Tour rider, lost five seconds to Armstrong, who is set to be the man of the first week.

Ice cool Contador trains sights on Armstrong

It looks like Alberto Contador has learned from the master himself, with the Spaniard apparently intent on unsettling the seven-times Tour de France champion with his recent change of schedule.

Contador announced on Tuesday he was re-shuffling his race calendar following a commanding victory on Paris-Nice. Instead of taking part in the Tour of Catalonia, the defending Tour champion will travel to Corsica for the two-day Criterium International, where he will square up with Armstrong, who had decided to go to Corsica instead of Catalonia after Contador first announced he would race in Spain!

Has Contador decided it is time for payback already?

Last year, his then Astana team mate Armstrong hit out at him after he cracked in the penultimate stage of Paris-Nice (“Amazing talent but still a lot to learn,” the American wrote on Twitter).

He did not stop there.

“Alberto did not follow team orders,” he said after Contador attacked in the climb to Arcalis during the 2009 Tour. “Hey Pistolero, there’s no ‘I’ in ‘team’,” he also wrote after finishing third in the Tour.

A soft spoken character, Contador swears he wants to stay out of the mind games, as he re-stated during his final Paris-Nice press conference, having only nice things to say about Armstrong’s RadioShack team.

Contador looks stronger than ever … even in a weaker team

Don’t tell Alberto Contador his team is weak. He won’t like it and he might be right in saying Astana are stronger than some would think.

Last year, Contador was part of an Astana team featuring Americans Lance Armstrong and Levi Leipheimer, and German Andreas Kloeden. That team was labelled as the strongest ever but Contador did not enjoy much of his season despite winning the Tour de France.

Since Armstrong and manager Johann Bruyneel defected to U.S.-funded team Radioshack for the 2010 season, things have radically changed for Contador.  The team may not be as strong as it was but Contador is feeling on top of the world — crediting the support network for his Paris-Nice victory at the weekend.

 ”I feel that I can trust everyone and everyone can trust me in this team,” Contador said. “Everybody is behind me. I have a good relationship with (team manager) Yvon (Sanquer). Every time I need something, I get it from him quickly.”

Confidence is paramount for a rider like Contador, who is under tremendous pressure to win a third Tour de France this year. He will be able to rely on other riders that were not on the Paris-Nice race and these additions will be crucial.

Former Tour champion Oscar Pereiro (“his analysis of the race is extremely precious,” says Sanquer) should be joined in the Tour de France roster by the experienced Alexandre Vinokourov.

With such a captain, Contador should not worry, especially since the talented Maxim Iglinskiy is expected to be there too. Italy’s Enrico Gasparetto, who won a tough stage on the Tirreo-Adriatico race on Sunday, could well be included to protect Contador in the mountains.

Can Bradley Wiggins become Britain’s first Tour de France winner?

Can Bradley Wiggins win the Tour de France? It’s a simple question with a reasonably simple answer – yes, well maybe. Not necessarily this year but soon, if everything goes right and he stays fit.

Has he got the support every rider needs to win the Big One? And some. Team Sky have put together a hand-picked 26-rider team that balances young thrusters and old hands and with the money of Sky and the inspiration and attention to detail of Dave Brailsford and his similarly hand-picked assistants, nothing will be left to chance.

Is he a stronger all-round rider than Alberto Contador, Andy Schleck or Lance Armstrong? No. Well he was not last year when he finished fourth, but he said he surprised himself with how he has developed since, concentrating all his efforts on the road and he goes into the new season with a totally new mindset.

Will Contador, Schleck and Armstrong again be the men to beat? Yes, this year at least. Contador still looks to be individually a class apart but his Astana team looks weaker this year. Armstrong could be stronger than in his comeback year but he is fighting a one-way battle against his 38-year-old body while Schleck could prove Wiggins’ biggest threat.

Does anyone in Britain care? Well Mark Cavendish finished fourth in the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year awards last year and Chris Hoy won it in 2008 so cycling awareness is definitely on the up. The Tour de France remains the only race to gain any substantial media coverage in the UK and even that is a fraction of what it gets on the Continent.

So if Wiggins becomes the first Briton to win the race he’s guaranteed the BBC title in 2010? Unfortunately not – that will be going to England’s World Cup-winning captain John Terry following his emotional conversion of the 11th spot kick in the marathon final penalty shoot over victory over Brazil in Johannesburg…

PHOTO: Britain’s Bradley Wiggins cycles during the men’s time trial race at the world cycling championships in Mendrisio September 24, 2009. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann

Armstrong v Contador – It’s already game on

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

Prepare for Pyrenees classic in 2010 Tour de France

One hundred years after first featuring on the Tour map, the Pyrenees could be the scene of a classic battle between Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong.

Tour de France organisers unveiled the route for next year’s race here in Paris on Wednesday, with four stages, including a gruelling 16th stage with four daunting climbs, to be held in the mountains that form the border between France and Spain.

Defending champion Contador sounded pretty pleased with the prospect.

“The route is better than last year’s because there are more mountains,” Contador told reporters. “Finishing with the Tourmalet is great for me,” he added, referring to the last mountain stage which ends at the top of the 2,115-metre high Col du Tourmalet.

The three-week race over almost 3,600km will start with an 8km prologue in Rotterdam before heading into the heartland of cycling — Belgium.

The first stage will take the riders along the North Sea, with 12km and 6km sections on an embankment, with crossing winds likely to split the peloton.

Live blogging from the Tour de France stage 20

Alberto Contador is almost there but the penultimate stage up Mont Ventoux is the toughest climb on the Tour.

Here is how the day is panning out (French time, new items now at top):

There we are! Contador set to win his second Tour de France. Andy Schleck is second. Armstrong’s comeback is a success with what looks like a wonderful podium finish.

Wiggins set to miss out on podium.

1631 – Garate wins stage in front of Martin

1630 – Contador is guarding Armstrong

1629 – Tony Martin has caught Garate. Endless last k!

Contador is out on his own — literally

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.

UPDATE-Contador in yellow: does he have the Tour wrapped up?

Alberto Contador made his break as the Tour de France entered the Alps on Sunday and he may well have decided the race in his favour.

Contador’s thrilling escape asked a question Lance Armstrong could not answer and earned the Spaniard the yellow jersey, with a lead of more than a minute and a half over Armstrong. That’s not decisive, but it is now hard to see the Texan coming back and taking victory.

Does Contador now have the Tour won?

Here’s the view of our Tour reporter Julien Pretot:

That’s it. As expected, Alberto Contador showed his true colours in the ascent to Verbier, hammering his rivals in just over five kilometres.

Another Tour de France will start on Tuesday after a well deserved rest day for the peloton. Contador will just have to focus enough to stay out of trouble before the Mont Ventoux showdown, while Lance Armstrong, who looked his age on Sunday, will be out to increase his popularity in France.

After acknowledging Contador was the best, the American finds himself in a very unusual position having never had to share the glory when he won his seven Tours from 1999 to 2005.

He cannot have any illusions and somehow, he brought it on himself on Sunday. After Contador attacked, Armstrong tried to maintain a small gap and eventually found himself well back, unable to rein in late attacks from Sastre, Frank Schleck and Wiggins.

PHOTO: Astana rider Alberto Contador of Spain holds up his arms as he wins the 15th stage of the 96th Tour de France cycling race between Pontarlier and Verbier, July 19, 2009. REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier