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In what he has said will be his last Tour de France, Lance Armstrong of the Radioshack team ruled himself out of contention for the honours at this year’s event. After suffering three crashes during the eighth stage and a tyre puncture, Armstrong finished 11 minutes and 45 seconds behind the stage winner Andy Schleck of Team Saxo Bank, thus ruling out the possibility of catching up with the leaders and winning a record 8th Tour de France title.
The last ride
Armstrong, who became an inspirational figure after winning his battle with testicular cancer, secured 7 Tour de France titles, an unprecedented record in cycling history. After coming out of retirement in 2009, he finished last year’s event in third place. Riding in his final tour this year, Armstrong suffered several pre-tour crashes and courted controversy when his former US Postal team mate Floyd Landis accused him of using performance enhancing drugs, a claim which has not been proved.
A strong rider who is known to beat the odds and perform under pressure, it is possible to suggest that the relentless media scrutiny and doping allegations got to the 38 year old athlete. His swansong ride through France will be a disappointing one. Nevertheless, Lance Armstrong will always be remembered for taking cycling to a wholly different level.
