Lance Armstrong: Six Shooter

You Are Here:

Home >> Six-Shooter (cont.)

Today's Question
How do you make primitive snowshoes? answer

What should you do if you get lost driving in a snow storm? answer

Today's Question
What is the greenest ski and snowboard on the market? answer

Can I really damage a coral reef with sunscreen while snorkeling? answer

What kind of dog will make me look manlier? answer
Is there a sport that safely combines my twin passions for guns and kayaks? answer
How come most of the world's cultures enjoy eating goat, but Americans don't? answer

Online Favorites

Special Issues

Photo Galleries

Outside Magazine, July 2004

Page:

2004 Tour de France: The Ultimate Guide
Six-Shooter (cont.)


	(Anton Corbijn)

OUTSIDE: Did you ever imagine that you'd be in the position you're in now? Five and one to grow on.
ARMSTRONG: No. After the first one, I thought that could be the only one. And after the second one. After winning three, I realized that maybe I could continue.

Once, you were the underdog—and you seemed to draw strength from that. But now it's all yours to lose.
You know, I'm more scared of failing than I am excited about winning. I don't want to fail. I don't want to lose. I don't want to let my teammates down. I don't want to let fans down. And I don't want to let myself down.

When you're training, do you consciously think about number six?
I try not to think about that, but obviously I get reminded of it daily. There's even days where I get reminded about winning number seven! I'm like, Wait a minute. It's a little too much pressure to think about a grand total, especially a grand total that's never been done before.

How do you want to be remembered?
Quite honestly, I don't care about having a long-term legacy. I don't mean that in a bad way. It's just that I think it would be incredibly arrogant to walk through my day thinking about it. That's not why I get up every morning.

Why do you, then?
To train hard and win another bike race. If in 50 years they name a street after me, or build me a statue, that's fine. But quite honestly, I live for these days now.

How are you feeling this year overall?
I feel good. No physical problems, no health issues. The team is stronger than ever. And I like the course.

How so?
I like the mountain stages, and I know them well. Of the three uphill finishes this year, I've won all three: La Mongie, Plateau de Beille, and L'Alpe d'Huez.

Which of the three is your favorite?
L'Alpe d'Huez is probably the most magical mountain we ride up. It's the most famous mountain on the Tour. And this year, with the dynamic of doing the time trial up it for the first time ever—well, it gives me a big rush.

Judging by your past performances, that should give you an advantage, shouldn't it?
I think so. I've only done one uphill time trial on the Tour, in 2001, and I won that as well.

What's your favorite stage of all time?
I like Mont Ventoux—it's special.

You mean in a miserable sort of way?
Well, it depends. If you're riding good, you don't suffer that much, really. It's painless.

Which rival concerns you the most?
Jan Ullrich [of T-Mobile] is the biggest rival we have. Great rider, great team, a lot of experience, a lot of motivation. But there are 10 or 12 other riders who are solid threats.

Is your old buddy and former teammate Tyler Hamilton one of them?
Tyler's not on the level of an Ullrich, but when I say there's 10 or 12 other guys, he's certainly in there. We don't create race strategy around Tyler, but he's a person we watch and try and defend against. Tyler's a little bit like me, in that he's not a young guy anymore. These are his peak years, his final years. It has to happen now or never.

Page:

•	Subscribe to Outside and get a FREE Gift!

•	Give the gift of Outside Magazine!

•	Subscribe to Outside Online's free weekly e-mail newsletter featuring gear reviews, fitness advice, galleries, podcasts, and more.