Contador wins Tour de France
PARIS — Four years after his seventh Tour de France win, Lance Armstrong capped his return with an impressive third-place finish. Alberto Contador's second title, at age 26, was eye-catching in its own way — he's got two more than Armstrong had at the same age.
The 37-year-old Armstrong said the Spaniard has the potential to become a five-time Tour winner.
"Well, he's that good and he's not that old, so you can do the math," Armstrong said.
Armstrong is the second-oldest rider to reach the podium, but he was bested by his Astana teammate's devastating attacks in the mountains and a display of power in the time trials.
Back to competition this season after 3Z\x years of retirement, the Texan quickly realized he wouldn't be able to unsettle his younger rival on the road and challenged him mentally.
Armstrong criticized his teammate's strategy following the first mountain stage in the Pyrenees, hinting that the Spaniard was running against the team common interests. He then revealed tensions within the Astana team due to their rivalry.
Even after securing the yellow jersey in the Alps, Contador was confronted by his team for his tactical choices.
Asked Sunday on French TV what the hardest moment in this race, Contador said: "It was in the hotel."
"It has been an especially difficult Tour for me, but I savor it and it is more special because of it," he said after the awards ceremony.
But the Spaniard didn't even take a tumble and was so dominant that his reign on the Tour seems as if it could last a long time.
"Contador is first of all a great climber, very elegant and flowing," Tour director Christian Prudhomme said. "But he also showed a great strength of character."
Armstrong plans to try his luck another time next year on the Tour with his new RadioShack team. He acknowledged Contador's superiority.
"Contador is that good, so I don't see how I would have been higher than that, even in the other years," said Armstrong, who won the Tour seven consecutive times from 1999 to 2005 before retiring. "I think his performance this year would have beaten my performances in '01 and '04 and '05."
Contador already is one of cycling's greats, having won all three Grand Tours of France, Italy and Spain, something Armstrong never achieved in his career.
"It was a hard Tour," said Contador, who had to sit out last year while Astana was banned because of previous doping scandals. "Before leaving, I knew I had to be ready both physically and mentally. At the end of each stage, I said 'one day less'."
