The Hindu : Sport / Cycling : Armstrong takes yellow jersey

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 09, 2004

Sport

Sport - Cycling

Armstrong takes yellow jersey

ARRAS (FRANCE), JULY 8. Lance Armstrong took the leader's yellow jersey on Wednesday for the first time at this year's Tour de France, in one of the fastest team time trials in the race's history.

Armstrong's U.S. Postal Service squad, working like a well-oiled machine, was dominant in the highly technical and rain-soaked event. The five-time champion, aiming for a record sixth win, smiled broadly as he crossed the line.

Armstrong's most feared rival, 1997 Tour winner Jan Ullrich, managed just a fourth-place with his T-Mobile team.

The T-Mobiles were more than 1 minute behind, but new rules designed to limit the advantage that top teams gain in the event protected Ullrich to some extent. In all, he lost 40 seconds to Armstrong's postal squad — still a severe setback.

Despite rainy weather that soaked the 64.5-kilometre (40-mile) course from Cambrai to Arras, Armstrong's team still clocked an average speed of 53.71 kilometres an hour.

That was the third fastest time in the history of the event.

Armstrong will still be looking to the later mountain stages and individual time trials to put his rivals away for good. But the advantage gained in the team event was a major step toward a record sixth win.

Armstrong and four other teammates now occupy the top places in the overall standings — a sign of the strength of the reigning Tour champion's team.

``It really was a special day for the team. The team was incredible. The rhythm was perfect,'' said Armstrong. He said the team had started slowly but picked up speed as they went along.

``That's the sign of a great team. We fought hard,'' he said.

Overall, Armstrong now has a 36-second advantage over American Tyler Hamilton, a former teammate who is now one of his big rivals. Ullrich, a five-time Tour runner-up, and second again to Armstrong last year, is even further back: 55 seconds off Armstrong's overall time. — AP

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