February 16, 2005 Six-time defending Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong has decided he’ll race for a seventh-consecutive title this July.
Although Armstrong had not officially made the decision until late last month, he had said recently he would “definitely be in France this summer. It just might not be on a bike,” ESPN.com reported.
Armstrong will race under his team’s new sponsor and new team name, Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team. "I am grateful for the opportunity that Discovery Communications has given the team and look forward to achieving my goal of a seventh Tour de France [victory]," Armstrong said on the team’s Web site.
But before Armstrong can defend his title, he needs to get in shape. "I am excited to get back on the bike and start racing although my condition is far from perfect," Armstrong said.
Armstrong will compete in three races prior to the Tour de France. From March 6 to 13, he’ll race in the Paristo-Nice event, on April 3 he’ll race in the Tour of Flanders in Belgium, and from April 19 to 24, he’ll return to the United States to defend his title at the Tour de Georgia. Armstrong also said he might add some races to his calendar.
Long-time Armstrong rival Jan Ullrich, the 1997 Tour champion and five-time Tour runner-up, thinks Armstrong’s presence is a positive one.
"It's good that he is there. The best should be at the Tour," Ullrich told ESPN.com.
It was a sentiment echoed by Andreas Kloden, last year’s runner-up.
"I always said he would ride,” Kloden told ESPN.com. “I am glad he's there."
Bloomberg.com reported that after Armstrong made his announcement, UK bookmaker William Hill shortened Armstrong’s odds on winning the race from 4/7 to 5/6. “It could be a one-horse race,” William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams told Bloomberg.com. “We were hoping he wasn't going to take part because the betting would have been a bit more open.”
Last year, Armstrong surpassed five-time Tour de France winners Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernhard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain to win his sixth Tour title.
This year’s Tour has fewer mountain finishes and shorter individual time trials than normal. That may not bode well for Armstrong who tends to dominate the mountain stages. But, ESPN.com reported that some initially thought that the 2004 route also might not be to Armstrong’s liking.
He won that Tour by over six minutes.
Need more Lance? Read “Six Shooter” from the July 2004 issue of Outside.
