Far and away, the biggest story of this year’s Tour is the return of Lance Armstrong.
The legendary rider retired in 2005 after winning seven Tours in a row, a feat no other rider has matched in the history of the race. His achievements were used as the standard to measure other riders’ performances. His most famous rides filled the highlight reels of every televised Tour special.
Armstrong came out of retirement to race in—and, if at all possible, win—the 2009 Tour. He didn’t return for personal glory, but to increase awareness of the need for cancer research and treatment. (Armstrong survived cancer before winning his first Tour.)
Many people wondered if a 37-year-old could possibly put out the sustained effort needed to win the Tour.
Armstrong came out strong in the first-stage time trial, showing he still had the speed and the heart. He then led the team to a victory in the Team Time Trials, outworking all his teammates.
In the mountains, Armstrong showed that he could still climb with the best of them; he also showed that he could forego personal glory and work for the team when he defended Alberto Contador’s attack, rather than counterattacking, in the first mountain stage.
Armstrong led Team Astana to push the pace in every stage, wearing out the weaker teams, working not to win stages or the leader’s yellow jersey, but to win the Tour overall for himself and Team Astana. Right now, Team Astana sits second, just three seconds behind leaders AG2R. Astana controls four of the top six spots in the General Classification.
When the Tour hit the Pyrenees, Cancellara couldn’t keep up, and he handed the jersey over to rookie Tour rider Rinaldo Nocentini of AG2R. Nocentini earned the yellow jersey by sticking with a long and difficult breakaway in Stage Seven, up some of the toughest climbs in the Tour.
He defended it successfully in Stage Nine, but in all likelihood, the real contenders, Team Astana, wanted him to keep it, so he could be the target of everyone’s attacks. Nocentini made a valiant defense of the jersey in Stage Eight, where he almost got dropped on a long climb but fought back to the head of the peloton.
The sprinters had their days early in the Tour, with the Manx Missile, Mark Cavendish, again demonstrating that he is the fastest man in the world on a bicycle, winning two stages in a row but Thor Hushovd showed his power by winning an uphill sprint in Stage Six.
The race moves into the plains of France for a week, and the sprinters will again have their chances to shine.
The final week will be the most difficult, as the Tour moves into the Alps for a series of mountain stages when the riders will be approaching exhaustion. It is in the Alps that all questions will be resolved, and possibly, the Tour will be decided.
Race Radios
In an effort to test whether technology is hurting the Tour, for two stages this year, race radios will not be allowed.
First introduced by the Motorola team in the early 90s small radios have become ubiquitous in the Tour. Every rider is in constant communication with the race director, to find out who is leading and chasing, to call for food or repairs, or medical aid, and to plan and execute individual and team strategy.
Some cycling purists want to return to the old days, when it was every man for himself, and riders could only react to what they could see around them.
So for Stages Ten and Thirteen, riders will not be allowed to wear their radios, and race directors will not be allowed to follow the stage on television. Race directors, mechanics, and doctors will need to hope they can get to their riders when they are needed.
While there are many opinions about how this will affect the race, no one will know for sure until the test is over.
Stage Ten, 195 kilometers from Limoges to Issoudun, will be run on July 14, Bastille Day—France’s Independence Day.
