DUNKIRK, France -- Lance Armstrong is hoping for a strong
start in his bid for a third consecutive Tour de France title -- but
not too strong.
"This is a long race and if you're in form too early and you
have a bad last 10 days, then you lose," said Armstrong, a
29-year-old Austin, Texas, resident.
The grueling three-week event was to begin Saturday with a
5.09-mile time-trial prologue in Dunkirk.
Sunday's first stage is a 120.78-mile run over the flat
countryside of France's northern Opal Coast, between the towns of
St. Omer and Boulogne sur Mer.
Most of the following week features similar flat stages -- with a
two-day crossover into Belgium also.
Armstrong's U.S. Postal Service team will try to save its energy
for the real test, the five days of mountain stages in the Alps and
the Pyrenees mountains that make up the middle of the Tour.
The uphill stages stretch riders to the limit, and in
Armstrong's words, "make all the difference."
Among them is an individual time-trial over a distance of 19.87
miles that involves a .94-mile climb.
"I think it will be one of the most critical stages of the
Tour," Armstrong said of the race's 11th stage between Grenoble
and Chamrousse. "It's a rare and difficult discipline."
The 30-year-old will take comfort from his triumph in the recent
Tour of Switzerland, due in large part to his victory in the uphill
time-trial in the Swiss Alps.
Armstrong is attempting to become only the second American --
after Greg LeMond -- to win the world's toughest cycling race three
times. He is hoping to become the first American to do so three
years in a row.
His strongest rivals this year include 1997 champion Jan
Ullrich, who has a history of weight problems but is considered at
a high fitness level this year. Lesser-known riders who have a
chance of pulling an upset include Spain's Joseba Beloki, who
finished third last year, and France's Christophe Moreau.
The Tour will start with doping still a major issue in the
sport. Last month, the Giro d'Italia was subjected to a police raid
of team hotels. More than 60 riders were reportedly placed under
investigation as a result.
The UCI International Cycling Union carried out blood tests
Thursday on all the riders taking part in this year's Tour. None of
the riders was declared unfit as a result of the tests, which check
for the blood's level of oxygen. A high oxygen level indicates
possible use of performance-enhancing substances. Three riders were
barred from starting last year's Tour after failing the blood
tests.
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