This Time Around, Landis Goes Alone for the Ride

Floyd Landis knows the Alps well. He sweated up enough steep mountain climbs to help teammate Lance Armstrong clinch three of his seven Tour de France titles.

Today, Landis will do it for himself.

“I always believed I could do it from the beginning,” said Landis, who trails overall race leader Oscar Pereiro by 1 minute 29 seconds. “I’ve proved I’m strong enough to win the Tour.”

By the end of today’s 15th stage, which winds through 21 sharp bends to finish at the summit of the famed L’Alpe d’Huez, the Phonak team leader will have a clearer idea of whether he has what it takes.

But then come two more grueling mountain stages in the Alps as one of the most unpredictable Tours in years enters its final week.

“My objective is to get to [Saturday’s] time trial without losing too much time,” Landis said Monday during a rest day in Gap. “I’m very confident in my time-trialing ability.”

He contends that it’s still too early to worry about the yellow jersey, which he wore two days last week.

“I have to stay focused on the big picture, rather than think of living the moment,” he said. “That wouldn’t be wise.”

With Armstrong retired and favorites such as Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso out on suspicion of doping, a number of riders are contending for the coveted yellow jersey, all the way down to 11th-place Yaroslav Popovych of Discovery Channel, who trails by 5:44.

CSC team director Bjarne Riis, the 1996 Tour winner, seemed sure that Carlos Sastre -- sixth and 3:21 off the lead -- also can challenge for yellow.

“We lost our leader,” Riis said, speaking of Basso. “We have a new one. Carlos is very well placed in the overall classification.

“Will he be good in the Alps? We are convinced he will be.”

Riis called this year’s race a “strange” Tour but insists tactics still play a decisive role.

“It may appear like a Tour of anarchy, but all is tactical,” Riis said. “We are approaching the last days. We know what we have to do. We are still here ... we are ready.”

It’s a far cry from the Armstrong era, when Postal/Discovery Channel patrolled the mountains, chasing down and swallowing up all rivals.

Landis, eight seconds ahead of Cyril Dessel of France, is confident Pereiro will wilt in the Alps and considers Denis Menchov his main rival.

“Menchov is the guy I have to follow the most,” said Landis of the Rabobank rider, who is 61 seconds behind in fourth place.

Pereiro’s Illes Balears teammate Alejando Valverde, whose Tour ended on Stage 3 because of broken right collarbone, acknowledges the mountains can end a cyclist’s race.

“We will see how [Pereiro] goes through the Alps,” Valverde said.

Today’s stage features a mammoth climb -- Col d’Izoard, a nine-mile ascent at a 7% grade. It’s known as “hors categorie,” or beyond classification, because it is so difficult.

Riders face six more punishing climbs -- rated as beyond classification or Category 1 -- Wednesday and Thursday.

The Tour hits its summit Wednesday at the 8,681-foot Col du Galibier. Thursday’s 17th stage ends with a tortuous climb up the Col de Joux-Plane, which has an 8.5% grade, and a hair-raising steep descent of nearly 0.6 miles to the finish line at Morzine.

Then, Landis hopes, he can clinch Saturday’s time trial and freewheel on Paris’ Champs Elysees -- just like Armstrong.

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Flying high

Fastest climbs up L’Alpe d’Huez, which today is the finish of the 116.2-mile 15th stage of the Tour de France:

* 1997: Marco Pantani, Italy, 37 minutes 35 seconds

* 1994: Pantani, 38:00

* 2001: Lance Armstrong, 38:01

* 1995: Pantani, 38:04

* 2003: Iban Mayo, Spain, 39:06

* 2004: Armstrong (time trial), 41:47

* 1999: Giuseppe Guerini, Italy, 41:52

Source: Reuters

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AT A GLANCE

* Monday: Rest day, before today’s 15th stage, which winds through 21 sharp bends to finish at the summit of the famed L’Alpe d’Huez.

* Yellow jersey: Oscar Pereiro, a Spaniard with Illes Balears, is the overall leader.

OVERALL LEADERS

Oscar Pereiro, Spain: 64:05:00

Floyd Landis, United States: 1:29 behind

Cyril Dessel, France: 1:37 behind

Denis Menchov, Russia: 2:30 behind

Cadel Evans, Australia: 2:46 behind

Carlos Sastre, Spain: 3:21 behind

Andreas Kloden, Germany: 3:58 behind

Michael Rogers, Australia: 4:51 behind

9. Juan M. Mercado, Spain: 5:02 behind

10. Christophe Moreau, France: 5:13 behind