Ride for the ages
MORZINE, France — It was a ride to make Lance Armstrong and Eddy Merckx proud — except even they never quite managed what Floyd Landis did.
Landis' swashbuckling solo on Thursday ranks among the most dramatic rides in the history of the Tour de France, assuring the American a place in cycling legend the day after his victory hopes seemed dashed.
"Landis was gone, finished, condemned ... and then a magnificent comeback," said race director Jean-Marie Leblanc, calling it "the best performance in the modern history of the Tour."
Because of their superiority, neither Armstrong nor Merckx ever had to turn around such a huge deficit the way Landis did.
Armstrong, who won a record seven straight Tours, and Merckx, who won five times, were often totally in control of their races.
Landis started Thursday's 17th stage more than 8 minutes behind leader Oscar Pereiro. Psychologically, he was reeling from the blow of losing the yellow jersey to Pereiro the previous day.
Instead of wilting further, the Pennsylvania native jumped from 11th place to third, cut Pereiro's lead to only 30 seconds, and moved within 18 seconds of second-placed Carlos Sastre.
After years of clinical domination by Armstrong — 2003 apart — Leblanc could not contain his delight.
"We now have three riders separated by 30 seconds ... it's wonderful. Bring on Saturday!" he said.
With today's 18th stage favoring sprinters, time gains or losses are unlikely, so Landis should head into Saturday's time trial as the favorite.
In stage 7, Landis was 1:10 faster than Sastre and 1:40 quicker than Pereiro in the first time trial.
Having clawed his way back up the mountain, Landis will not want to let another chance slip in his favorite discipline.
Under a burning sun, Landis' solitary escape in the Alps made his rivals seem like they were pedaling backward — and mirrored the panache of great riders of past years.
"I have searched my memory and I can't remember a performance like that," Leblanc said. "There was Eddy Merckx in 1969, but Merckx was in the yellow jersey, not like Landis."
Frenchman Bernard Hinault, the five-time Tour winner, called Landis "a real soldier."
Leblanc has headed the Tour since 1989 — the year another American, Greg Lemond, beat Laurent Fignon of France on the final day by just 8 seconds.
Landis will gladly settle for that margin after almost everyone wrote him off — including Johan Bruyneel, his team director at U.S. Postal for three years when he was a support rider to Armstrong.
"OK, yesterday I had a bad day and couldn't control it," Landis said. "But, one way or another, I was going to make whoever wins this Tour deserve it."
