Tuesday, June 17, 2003

By Louis Bertrand

Forgive me for writing about the Tour de France again, but isn't it the main event of the summer anyway ? Seriously, what else is there ?

So Super Lance is all set now, as the Dauphine Libere has just demonstrated. In fact, the Dauphine would have been a training ride had it not been for Basque climber Iban Mayo's determination to push Armstrong to the limit in the mountains. The polka dot jersey (best climber) kept on trying to destabilize the man in yellow, to no avail. The defending Dauphine champion responded to all of the attacks save one, but you never know and Mayo who tried till the very end is my "man of the week."

Could Armstrong possibly crack in the mountains if the natural climbers such as Mayo, Laiseka, Simoni , Mercado and Mancebo put on the pressure ? Tour of Italy winner Gilberto Simoni believes so, but Lance wonders how those guys would form a coalition while each one is pursuing his own goals in the Tour. Right. Furthermore, none of the "mountain rangers" can rival Armstrong in the individual time trials, not to mention the stage-four team tt, which provide the four-time Tour winner with a safety margin should he need it above 5000 feet. Mayo, who conceded 13 minutes to Armstrong over 110 kilometres against the clock last year in his first Tour, shows wisdom at the tender age of 25. "The Dauphine is not the Tour. I prefer to go for stage wins in the Tour. Already, Armstrong is a cut above everyone."

One last thing about Lance: he says he's still hurting from his stage-five crash and that the pain could hinder his training program leading up to the July 5th prologue in Paris. All right then, he'll be at 99% in Paris, so what ?

David Millar is one excellent time-trialist who has dealt with the Alps better than ever to end up third at the Dauphine, but don't expect the unpredictable Scot on the Tour podium in Paris. Levi Leipheimer, eight at six minutes 25, was ok but not outstanding, and Tyler Hamilton who suffered from stomach problems all week long did not start the final stage.

His team manager Riis is not worried, three weeks to go is plenty.

As for Jan Ullrich and Marco Pantani, what is most interesting about them is not related to the Tour de France. The first has made clear that his priorities are the Tour of Spain, which he won in 1999, and the World Championships in Hamilton. Pantani, not willing to race the Tour as a "guest" on either Team Bianchi or Vini Caldirola, will soon determine his program for the rest of the year, and it could include the Vuelta and Worlds as well. After the Tour, more riders will start voicing their interest towards Hamilton.

You know who will shine in the World Championships time trial on October 10th ? Reigning World Champ Santiago Botero, that's who. We haven't heard of the versatile Colombian this year as he's spent most of the season in his homeland once more. I bring him up now because Santi, way before the Worlds, should play a major role in the Tour de France again. Remember he beat Armstrong in the first individual time trial last year ? Botero was fourth in Paris with Kelme, this year he'll back with Telekom, accompanied by 2002 Giro winner Paolo Savoldelli ... Better keep an eye on those two, Lance.

Finally, as Armstrong aims at a fifth consecutive title in Paris, Joseba Beloki, second in the recent Bicicleta Vasca, will be looking for a fourth podium in a row. Here's a quiet guy secretly getting ready, and he may ride in the front again this year, but you won't hear him or even notice his presence. I'm not saying he is not deserving, I only wish Beloki would bring some fireworks to the party every now and then.

That's all for this week, as I'm heading out to Quebec City for the first stage of the Grand Prix de Beauce. Canada has just dropped from 27th to 30th in the nations' UCI rankings, and now is a great occasion for our riders to pick up some valuable points. After Beauce come the National Road Championships in Hamilton, and next week we'll talk about the significance of the Nationals in relation to the major events of the second half of the season.


Louis Bertrand is a freelance sports commentator who's been involved in cycling for close to 30 years. If you've watched a cycling event on French television in Quebec in the last 15 years, chances are Louis was at the helm. He also works as race announcer for the Women's World Cup in Montreal, the Grand Prix de Beauce and the upcoming Canadian Road Championships in Hamilton. Basically, cycling is his life. With the World Road Championships coming to Hamilton, Louis will now have his weekly column on our website.