SPECIAL DELIVERY

For nearly three weeks, nine young men wearing the eagle-head logo of the U.S. Postal Service have pedaled across some of the toughest mountains in France, braved wind and rain and fought off the competition--together, and with their goal always in focus.

This weekend, these riders are poised to make an indelible mark on cycling history as the first U.S. cycling team to see a member win the near century-old Tour de France. At the start of the race, few would have predicted it.

Were it not for one cyclist with a slight Texas drawl, a will of iron and an incredible story of success against odds, the team’s day of glory Sunday wouldn’t be on the horizon. Lance Armstrong, diagnosed in 1996 with cancer that spread from his groin to his brain, and given a 50% chance of survival, returned to professional cycling in 1998. A year later, he has all but sewn up a first-place finish.

On Friday, Armstrong retained an overall lead of 6 minutes 15 seconds. Italian Gianpaolo Mondini won the day’s 117-mile stage from Jonzac, in the Bourdeaux region, to Futuroscope, a theme park in the center of France.

Team officials say the Postal Service got into sponsoring Armstrong and his teammates for the most basic of business reasons--to gain an edge on competitors in the package-delivery business such as Federal Express and United Parcel Service. It seems to be working. This year, officials estimate the Postal Service is on track to gain $10 million in new business from Tour connections.

Although Armstrong has amazed fans in Europe and America with his performance, members of the team management and staff say it is too simple to attribute the team’s success to one man.

Aiming this year to score as high as possible in cycling’s premier event, U.S. Postal brought in a revamped strategy and a new sports director, Johan Bruyneel, who had just ended a dozen years of competitive riding himself.

“A victory in the Tour de France is not the victory of an individual but a victory of the whole team,” said Bruyneel, a Belgian who competed in the Tour seven times.

American Greg LeMond won the Tour three times--1986, 1989 and 1990--but each time he was riding for a European team.

Overall, the Postal Service’s nine-man team this year is in the middle of the pack versus other Tour teams. But everybody agrees it has come together during the race, with each rider carrying out his role to the fullest.

The squad has nine Americans on its full roster, as well as a Belgian, New Zealander, Frenchman, South African, Dane, Luxembourger and an Italian. But only nine riders compete in the Tour.

“Every rider knew his function in the team,” Bruyneel said. “Everybody stays around Armstrong. They know what they have to do” to support him.

Many of his teammates have come to be Armstrong’s friends and, after working with the 27-year-old Texan for seven or eight years, know his cycling style and weaknesses intimately. During the race, other riders protect their leader by surrounding him to cut the wind--often strong in the Pyrenees and Alps--and form a wedge to help him advance through the pack if he falls behind.

U.S. Postal’s overall strategy was to focus attention on the Tour, taking the pressure off Armstrong and the others to win races during the early months of the cycling year and enabling them to rest for the important race.

Whatever the cause, Armstrong’s first-place position has surpassed expectations--even those of team general manager Mark Gorski. “We did not anticipate winning the Tour de France this year,” he said. “We’ve all been very surprised.”

Armstrong is without question the team leader, and a presence who motivates the others.

“Once he took the yellow jersey [worn by the Tour’s overall leader] they had taken control,” Bruyneel said. “They have been killing themselves to defend it.”

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Tour at a Glance

* 18th stage--A 117-mile route from Jonzac to Futuroscope, a futuristic science fiction park in central France.

* Winner--Gianpaolo Mondini of Italy, in 4 hours 17 minutes 43 seconds.

* Others--Jean-Cyril Robin of France was second, Alexandre Vinokourov of Kazakhstan third.

* Overall--Lance Armstrong of the U.S. leads by 6 minutes 15 seconds. He’s followed by Fernando Escartin of Spain and Alex Zulle of Switzerland.

* Next--Today’s stage is a 35.5-mile time trial in Futuroscope.