Armstrong, USPS deliver in France
by Bernie Scheffler, editor-in-chief

    Texan Lance Armstrong stepped to the top of the winner’s podium of the Tour de France for the fourth consecutive year Sunday, after covering 2,032 miles in just 20 stages of racing.

   In the past four years, Armstrong has turned the Tour de France into his personal showcase, demonstrating dominance both in the mountains and time trials. In this Tour alone, he won four stages—two time trials and two mountain stages.

   The 30-year-old cancer survivor showed no weakness in three weeks of racing, handily beating all other contenders.

   This year the closest challenger, Joseba Beloki of Spain, finished over 7 minutes behind Armstrong, a huge margin in bicycle racing.

   Manolo Saiz, Beloki’s ONCE team manager, expressed some admiration and frustration after one of the Tour’s tougher mountain stages.

   “Armstrong has shown he has the blood of champions flowing through his veins,” he said. “He is much stronger than us. We see it day after day.”

   Armstrong, however, was quick to credit much of his victory to the strength of his U.S. Postal Service team.

   “In cycling, when you have a consistent and complete team, it makes life easier,” he said. “Frankly, I think we had the best team in the race ... That helps me throughout these three weeks. In fact, their job is a lot harder than my job.”

   Armstrong also secured a place in history as he became the first American to win four Tours and moved closer to the Tour record of five victories.

   In the Tour’s 89-year history, only four men have ever won five times, among them Spanish cycling legend Miguel Indurain, who won five consecutive Tours from 1991-1995.

   In years past, Armstrong has skirted media questions about whether he will try to break Indurain’s record. Armstrong’s fans, however, say he’s just being modest.

   “I think he’s absolutely going for six,” Will Swetnam, a columnist on Armstrong’s Web site, said.

   “It’s always been public that Lance’s contract with the Postal Service team runs through 2004. If he keeps winning, that would be his sixth consecutive victory.”

   Armstrong, however, says he is satisfied with the mark he’s already made on the world’s longest bicycle race.

   “Regardless of one victory, two victories, four victories—there’s never been a victory by a cancer survivor,” he said.

   “That’s a fact that hopefully I’ll be remembered for.”