American Shows How to Deux It

United States cyclist Lance Armstrong, who took on cancer and beat it, did the same for a second consecutive year in the Tour de France on Sunday, riding to an overwhelming victory in a race that lasted 21 punishing days and 2,255 miles.

What last year seemed like a medical and sports miracle now has the makings of a dynasty. “I’ll be back next year, I can promise you that,” vowed Armstrong, 28, who won by 6 minutes 2 seconds and became only the 11th cyclist to take back-to-back Tours in the last half a century.

The Texas native’s furious will to beat the competition, his athletic gifts, his capacity to endure and surmount pain and the self-discipline and sense of purpose honed during his battle against illness might have molded him into one of the all-time greats at his sport, some believe.

“With Armstrong, you go farther into suffering,” said Cedric Vasseur, a French fellow rider on the U.S Postal Service team. “His mental powers are supernatural: He has the eye of the tiger.”

Another competitor in this year’s pack likened the two-time Tour victor to two of the sport’s legends, Miguel Indurain of Spain and Bernard Hinault of France, both five-time laureates in one of the toughest contests in all of sport.

“Lance has a calm strength that reminds you of Indurain, and an inner rage that he’s borrowed from Hinault,” Francis Lafargue of the Spanish team Banesto told the Journal de Dimanche weekly. “But after his sickness, his pain thresholds are higher than anybody’s.”

On a warm, sunny afternoon--and an especially wonderful day to be an American in Paris--Armstrong and his U.S. Postal teammates whirred over the cobblestones of the French capital for the Tour’s final 86 miles. Starting at the Eiffel Tower, the 128 riders crossed the Seine to the Right Bank, with some spectators in pleasure boats motoring briskly upstream to keep pace.

In the cheering crowd that packed the Avenue des Champs-Elysees, where professional cycling’s epic endurance race concluded with a dozen laps, there were American flags by the hundreds. In the VIP grandstand, Armstrong’s wife, Kristin, a former resident of Santa Barbara, waved both American and Texas flags.

“It’s a great day for our family. It’s really unbelievable,” Kristin Armstrong, speaking French, said as she cuddled the couple’s 9-month-old son, Luke David, in her arms.

Some of the young women enrolled this summer at the American University of Paris painted their faces to look like the Stars and Stripes, and turned out to cheer Armstrong, who not only wore the overall leader’s maillot jaune, or yellow jersey, but had cycling shoes and yellow-wall tires on his bike Sunday to match.

“This is just amazing. That someone can overcome all kinds of odds and show true American spirit,” enthused Tina Stengel, 17, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., who said she was a great-niece of baseball Hall of Fame manager Casey Stengel.

As the Tour, which began July 1 near Poitiers, started the last day of a grinding ordeal that spanned a distance greater than that between Los Angeles and Atlanta, there was time for the customary clowning and high jinks. As he cruised through Paris, Armstrong donned a woman’s wig, and hoisted a glass of celebratory champagne--but didn’t sip. But in the circuits up and down the broad Champs-Elysees, things got serious again as a handful of sprinters broke away, vying for victory in the prestigious final stage.

It was Italy’s Stefano Zanini who crossed the finish line first. Armstrong was No. 76 for the day, but with the same time as Zanini. For the last 12 days of the Tour, from the Pyrenees to the Alps, into Switzerland and Germany, the American wore the coveted yellow, dominating a much stronger field than in 1999.

“It was a hard Tour,” Armstrong said when it was over. “It’s very special--but I’m glad it’s finished.”

For the second year in a row, Armstrong mounted the winner’s podium erected in the middle of what the French like to call the most beautiful avenue in the world. As the American flag was hoisted, the band of the Paris police blared the “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Armstrong eyed the flag, his cycling cap clasped to his heart, and swayed slightly on his legs.

His delight was obvious when his wife and baby joined him on the winner’s stand. He kissed his wife--twice--tossed Luke in his arms, kissed him, and hoisted the youngster on his shoulders, having trouble because of his cycling cap. Later, a miniature version of the winner’s jersey was produced for Luke.

“This little guy gave me a lot of motivation this past year. I’m glad he could be here,” Armstrong said as his son tried to grab a reporter’s microphone.

“He likes the press more than his dad does,” quipped Armstrong, a reference to his sometime stormy relationship with the French media. In the 1999 Tour, some newspapers here thought his comeback from cancer was a little too miraculous, and implied or questioned whether he might be taking performance-enhancing drugs.

Armstrong flatly denied it. But the scandal mushroomed when his use of a steroid-based skin cream to combat saddle sores led to banned chemical substances showing up in urine samples he gave for testing. This year, there was no such controversy, though some cycling figures, including Daniel Baal, head of France’s federation for the sport, expressed suspicions that some leading, but unnamed, Tour participants were still using illicit drugs.

Armstrong’s cumulative time for the 87th edition of the Tour de France was 92 hours 33 minutes 8 seconds in the saddle. Second was Germany’s Jan Ullrich, 6:02 back. Third was Spain’s Joseba Beloki, a Tour rookie who was one of this year’s revelations at 10:04 off Armstrong’s pace.

“What Lance has accomplished this year is again truly amazing,” USA Cycling President Michael Plant told the Agence France-Presse news agency. “Lance transcends the traditional sports athlete. He is the American hero. People who are not cycling fans turn up just to see him compete and win.”

“Some people put an asterisk to his victory last year,” Plant told AFP. “They said it was a miracle because of some big names not competing and the [doping] scandals surrounding everything. But he proved everyone wrong again.”

Armstrong and the rest of “Posties”--the only team of 20 to finish the Tour with all nine riders still in the race--were to celebrate with family members and guests at a Sunday evening banquet at the Musee d’Orsay, one of Paris’ most celebrated art museums. But before then, according to his spokesman Luc Verschuerdn, Armstrong scheduled an appearance at a benefit for cancer research at the posh Hotel Crillon.

In 1996, Armstrong was found to have advanced testicular cancer that had spread to his brain and lungs. Surgeons opened his skull and excised the brain tumors, and removed one of his testicles. He blasted the cancer in his lungs with months of poisonous chemotherapy that made him weak and nauseated.

At one point, Armstrong says in his best-selling autobiography, “It’s Not About the Bike,” doctors gave him a less than 40% chance of survival. But by 1998, he resumed the promising career that had seen him win the world cycling championship in 1993.

For Armstrong, the disease and treatment had definite benefits: They stripped down his football-player-like physique, he says, and made him lean and trim enough to beat other top-rated riders on long climbs. He skipped the 1998 Tour but entered the field in 1999--and won.

His life-threatening ordeal also gave Armstrong a new purpose in life, and he started a foundation in his hometown of Austin, Texas, that helps others face cancer by inculcating his motto: “I am a survivor, not a victim.”

“Lance Armstrong and his teammates are an inspiration to our employees, to cancer survivors, and to many other Americans,” U.S. Postmaster General William J. Henderson, head of the team’s flagship sponsor, said.

Armstrong’s spokesman said he will return to the United States on Tuesday for “The Late Show With David Letterman” and other TV appearances. Later in the week, the cyclist plans to fly to his French residence in Nice, on the Mediterranean coast, to begin training for the Sydney Olympics in September.

Only one other American, Greg LeMond, has been victorious in the Tour de France, finishing in yellow in 1986, 1988 and 1989. Armstrong has carefully declined to put himself in the same category as the greatest in his sport--five-time winners Indurain, Hinault, Jacques Anquetil and Eddy Merckx. But Merckx, nicknamed “The Cannibal” for his aggressive style and considered by many to be the greatest in history at his sport, has said he considers Armstrong his successor.

“Lance is the rightful holder of the yellow jersey,” Ullrich, this year’s No. 2 finisher, said before the riders reached Paris.

On July 7, 2001, the next Tour de France begins in the port of Dunkirk, and all eyes in the cycling world will be on Armstrong to see if he can equal LeMond--and perhaps surpass him.

Also honored Sunday was Santiago Botero of Colombia, who was the South American country’s first rider to win the polka-dotted jersey as “king of the mountains”--top Tour climber--since Lucho Herrera 13 years ago. Erik Zabel of Germany was awarded a record fifth green jersey as best sprinter.

As in all Tours, some veterans cyclists faded this July, and younger competitors were eager to make their mark. Those whose stars may be on the wane included the 1999 runner-up, Alex Zuelle of Switzerland, Laurent Jalabert of France, who wore the yellow jersey for two days, and Spaniard Abraham Olano.

Among the crop of up-and-comers this year were Scot David Millar, who narrowly beat Armstrong in the race against the clock on the Tour’s first day, and Beloki.

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Tour de France at a Glance

Sunday’s 21st stage of the 87th Tour de France:

* STAGE: A 86-mile course through Paris, starting from the Eiffel Tower, traveling along the banks of the River Seine and concluding with a dozen sharp-turned circuits of the broad Champs-Elysees.

* STAGE WINNER: Italy’s Stefano Zanini, who had never won a Tour stage. His previous best finish this year was third in the fifth stage.

* HOW OTHERS FARED: Erik Zabel, German star sprinter of Deutsche Telekom, was second in the stage, while his team’s captain, Jan Ullrich, was 57th. Lance Armstrong finished 76th.

* QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Armstrong is a worthy champion. He was the strongest man, and he met our every attack. He earned his victory.”--Ullrich

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Tour de France by Stage

Stage by stage of the Tour de France, including Lance Armstrong’s (LA) lead position, either behind the leader (-) or time in front (+):

*

S-Date: 1-July 1 Begin: Futuroscope End: Futuroscope Km: 16.5 Winner: David Millar Leader: David Millar LA: -0:02 * At the opening time trial, Armstrong narrowly misses wearing the yellow jersey as Briton Millar wins.

*

S-Date: 2-July 2 Begin: Futuroscope End: Loudun Km: 194 Winner: Tom Steels Leader: David Millar LA: -0:04 * Through the Muscadet vineyards, Armstrong conserves energy by riding within the pack.

*

S-Date: 3-July 3 Begin: Loudun End: Nantes Km: 161.5 Winner: Tom Steels Leader: David Millar LA: -0:04 * Armstrong is content to stay within the second group of riders, and loses no overall time.

*

S-Date: 4-July 4 Begin: Nantes End: St Nazaire Km: 70 Winner: ONCE Team Leader: Laurent Jalabert LA: -0:24 * Slipping to third, Armstrong loses time amid strong winds.

*

S-Date: 5-July 5 Begin: Vannes End: Vitre Km: 202 Winner: Marcel Wust Leader: Laurent Jalaber LA: -0:14 * Armstrong shaves 10 seconds off of Jalabert’s lead, but remains in third overall.

*

S-Date: 6-July 6 Begin: Vitre End: Tours Km: 198.5 Winner: Leon van Bon Leader: Alberto Ell LA: -5:54 * Strategy takes over as Armstrong drops to 12th overall, pacing himself for later stages.

*

S-Date: 7-July 7 Begin: Tours End: Limoges Km: 205.5 Winner: Christophe Agnolutto Leader: Alberto Elli LA: -5:54 * Armstrong revisits the stage that claimed the life of friend and teammate Fabio Casartelli in 1995.

*

S-Date: 8-July 8 Begin: Limoges End: Villeneuve sur Lot Km: 203.5 Winner: Erik Dekker Leader: Alberto Elli LA: -5:54 * Falling to 16th overall, Armstrong continues to pace himself preparing for the Pyrenees.

*

S-Date: 9-July 9 Begin: Agen End: Dax Km: 181 Winner: Paolo Bettini Leader: Alberto Elli LA: -5:54 * Armstrong: “For me, the Tour de France begins Monday, I’ve been keeping my head low and staying out of trouble.”

*

S-Date: 10-July 10 Begin: Dax End: Lourdes-Hautacam Km: 205 Winner: Javier Otxoa Leader: Lance Armstrong LA: +4:14 * Armstrong moves from 16th to first overall with a stunning display of mountain climbing.

*

S-Date: 11-July 11 Begin: Bagneres-de-Bigorres End: Revel Km: 218.5 Winner: Erik Dekker Leader: Lance Armstrong LA: +4:14 * Donning the yellow jersey, Armstrong keeps challengers Marco Pantini and Jan Ullrich at bay.

*

S-Date: 12-July 13 Begin: Carpentras End: Mont Ventoux Km: 149 Winner: Marco Pantani Leader: Lance Armstrong LA: +4:55 * Engaging Pantini in a grueling battle up Mont Ventoux, Armstrong extends his lead.

*

S-Date: 13-July 14 Begin: Avignon End: Draguignan Km: 185.5 Winner: Vicente Garcia-Acosta Leader: Lance Armstrong LA: +4:55 * Leaving the mountains for the gentle hills, Ullrich gains no time on Armstrong.

*

S-Date: 14-July 15 Begin: Draguignan End: Briancon Km: 249.5 Winner: Santiago Botero Leader: Lance Armstrong LA: +4:55 * Armstrong continues to hold off Ullrich’s challenge along a series of category-one climbs into French Alps.

*

S-Date: 15-July 16 Begin: Briancon End: Courchevel Km: 173.5 Winner: Marco Pantani Leader: Lance Armstrong LA: +7:26 * By extending lead in the Alps, Armstrong virtually locks up the yellow jersey for the remainder of the Tour.

*

S-Date: 16-July 18 Begin: Courchevel-Le-Praz End: Morzine Km: 196.5 Winner: Richard Virenque Leader: Lance Armstrong LA: +5:37 * Armstrong: “Today was the hardest day of my cycling life! I had no sugar, no energy . . . “

*

S-Date: 17-July 19 Begin: Evian-les-Bains End: Lausanne Km: 155 Winner: Erik Dekker Leader: Lance Armstrong LA: +5:37 * Rivals Pantini and Alex Zulle drop out as Armstrong shows no sign of slipping.

*

S-Date: 18-July 20 Begin: Lausanne End: Friborg-en-Brisgau Km: 246.5 Winner: Salvatore Commesso Leader: Lance Armstrong LA: +5:37 * Armstrong rides into Germany’s Black Forest behind the pack but giving no ground.

*

S-Date: 19-July 21 Begin: Fribourg End: Mulhouse Km: 58.5 Winner: Lance Armstrong Leader: Lance Armstrong LA: +6:02 * Armstrong wins a stage for the first time in this Tour, acknowledging that victory is in his hands.

*

S-Date: 20-July 22 Begin: Belfort End: Troyes Km: 254.5 Winner: Erik Zabel Leader: Lance Armstrong LA: +6:02 * With nearest challenger Ullrich a full 6 minutes behind, the race is all but over.

*

S-Date: 21-July 23 Begin: Paris (Eiffel Tower) End: (Champs-Elysees) Km: 138 Winner: Stefano Zanini Leader: Lance Armstrong LA: +6:02 * Riding among throngs along the Champs-Elysees, Armstrong wins his second consecutive Tour De France.