| 06/29/2005 | | Lance Armstrong's team director says only three riders could threaten the Texan's bid for a seventh straight Tour de France title when cycling's showcase race begins Saturday. Johan Bruyneel, Armstrong's tactical adviser on each of his six Tour wins, picked Kazakhstan's Alexandre Vinokourov, Germany's Jan Ullrich and Italy's Ivan Basso as the competition. Of the trio, only Ullrich has ever won the Tour - in 1997 - while Basso and Vinokourov have between them filled third place the past two years. "I think those three are the real challengers," Bruyneel said Tuesday in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. Vinokourov is not as quick as his T-Mobile teammate Ullrich on time trials but better in the mountains than the muscular German - a famously slow starter. At the Dauphine Libere tuneup earlier this month, Vinokourov won the climb up Mont Ventoux - beating a tired-looking Armstrong by 37 seconds. Although Team CSC rider Basso lacks speed, he is a tenacious climber - as he showed on last year's Tour. "He was the only one to stay with Lance in the mountains," Bruyneel said. "Will he be able to maintain his condition for three weeks on the Tour? That's the question mark. But it's possible." Vinokourov's insatiable penchant for attack caused Armstrong problems in the mountains in 2003, when the Texan beat Ullrich by just over a minute - his smallest overall margin of victory. Bruyneel admires Vinokourov but believes his attacking range will be less this year. "He takes advantage of every opportunity. I think he's become more resistant over the years, and stronger in the mountains," Bruyneel said. "In 2003, he wasn't one of the favorites, so he got some freedom to attack. I don't think it will be the case this time." Ullrich, a five-time Tour runner-up, has long been considered Armstrong's main rival. But a poor showing last year - he finished eight mi http://www.thebearrocks.com/content/cp_article.asp?id=/global_feeds/CanadianPress/SportsNews/s062921A.htm
|
|
|
