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Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong has returned home, travelling via Switzerland to do the Travers a Lausanne hill climb/time trial on Tuesday night, then to New York, USA for a few public appearances before his end of season program.
First stop was the Yankee Stadium where he threw the first pitch in the Yankees v. Texas Rangers on Wednesday night in front of approximately 40,000 people. Armstrong described himself as "very nervous" before the game, but managed to get the ceremonial first ball to the correct end of the field.
He received an enthusiastic reception being only the second American cyclist to win the Tour de France three times (or ever), and coming back from testicular cancer to do so. Fellow cancer sufferer Joe Torre, the manager of the Yankees team, said that "Lance is an inspiration to everyone, but especially to those who have been diagnosed with cancer."
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Anther cancer sufferer, New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani called today "Lance Armstrong Day" saying that he was "a model for me and many people who you don't know. They see what you do and that gives them hope, strength, and the desire to overcome cancer."
Following this, he made an appearance on the David Letterman chat show, where he endured Letterman's reasonably well informed questioning. Today, he appeared on the Today show (7:40am), CBS Early Show (8:30am), Live with Regis & Kelly (approx. 9:15am), then at a short ceremony at 10:00am on the steps of the USPS James A. Farley Post Office.
On Friday, August 3 he will travel to Washington DC to visit President George W. Bush at the White House (1:45pm).
During his various media appearances, Armstrong also criticised fellow American triple Tour winner Greg LeMond, who made comments to the Guardian newspaper last week about Armstrong's relationship with controversial Italian doctor Michele Ferrari. LeMond said that "In the light of Lance's relationship with Ferrari, I just don't want to comment on this year's Tour. This is not sour grapes. I'm just disappointed in Lance."
To which Armstrong responded "That was harder for me to hear because I respect LeMond so much. What he did in 1989 and 1990 is the stuff that legends are made of. He did things that people thought were humanly impossible. The guy's an idol of mine."
He reportedly told LeMond personally that "Greg, you're one of my heroes and I wouldn't be here without you and I was surprised to see that."
Schedule info courtesy of www.lancearmstrong.com.
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An article in Italian sports paper La Gazzetta dello Sport rates Lance Armstrong as the best paid athlete in the sport, with a combined worth (normal salary + advertising/endorsements) of US$15 million. His contract with US Postal alone is reportedly worth US$2.9 million, with 17 other sponsorships totaling US$12.1 million. The largest of these are Nike, Coca Cola and Squibb medical products (US$2 million each), with DHL couriers and Brain Lab medical software worth US$1 million each.
US Postal team leader Dirk Demol said at a press conference today that there is only a "small chance" that Lance Armstrong will ride the Vuelta España, "but if he does go to the Vuelta, then he will also want to win."
The Postal team for the Vuelta will therefore have Roberto Heras as top man, supported by Jose Luis Rubiera and Victor Hugo Peña, with the other team members to be determined.
It's also possible that Post Swiss rider, Gerrit Glomser, may get a contract with the US Posties next season. "Nothing concrete has been negotiated yet, because we have yet to discuss money," said Glomser after admitting that he had had contacts with the team.
Taking place on Friday, August 3 is the seventh round of the Women's World Cup, the "Trophée International" around Bordeaux, France. The 122 km race starts at 14:00 CEST in La Brède, approx. 18 km south of Bordeaux, and follows a largely flat parcours to finish in Paullaic. This is the first time that a women's World Cup race has been held in France.
The main players in the World Cup competition, Mirjam Melchers (Acca Due O) and Anna Millward (Saturn) will be at the start, with Melchers coming off a fine win in the International Thüringen Rundfahrt. Melchers trails Millward by 46 points in the World Cup standings, and with 75 points for a win, it's still a close competition. Also present will be triple Olympic gold medallist Leontien Zijlaard-Van Moorsel (Farm Frites-Hartol), who should find this course to her liking.
Other riders to watch include Petra Rossner (Saturn), Hanka Kupfernagel (Farm Frites-Hartol), Susanne Ljungskog (Vlaanderen T Interim) and Diana Ziliute (Acca Due O), who seems to be finding some form again. The French team will contain Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli, Magali Floc'h, and Fany Lecourtois, none of whom have won a World Cup race.
Starting tomorrow in Mouscron, Belgium is the of the Tour de la Région Wallonne/Ronde van het Waalse Gewest, a six day UCI 2.3 class stage race. The start list includes several riders who either completely missed the Tour de France, or performed badly. Tom Steels (Mapei), Johan Museeuw (Domo-Farm Frites), Andrei Tchmil (Lotto), Peter Van Petegem (Mercury), Ludovic Capelle (Ag2r) and David Millar (Cofidis) are amongst these.
Domo-Farm Frites, Mapei-Quick Step, Lotto, Cofidis, Mercury, Crédit Agricole, La Française des Jeux, Collstrop, Vlaanderen-T-Interim, Landbouwkrediet, Ville de Charleroi, Bigmat, Phonak, Fortis Eddy Merckx, Domo (Espoirs), RPC Liège.
Bonjour rider, Noan Lelarge, who was controlled positive during the Giro d'Italia, will be heard in front of the disciplinary commission of the professional cyclists' league on August 9. In the meantime, the management of the Bonjour team has listened to Lelarge's reasons as to why he tested positive. He believes that could have come from a medicine that he took for a cold.
Initially, he had not given any reason, and was subject to some harsh comments from his teammates. An official team statement said that Bonjour would rely upon "the wisdom of the commission to rule on this case".
Lelarge officially tested positive for a corticosteroid after stage 9 of the Giro, on May 28. He abandoned the following day before the finish in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Germany's oldest road race, the Rund um Berlin, scheduled for September 1, will not be held this year. The SC Berlin club, which has run the race for the last 30 years, cited financial reasons as the problem. "The costs of the event could not be covered by the income," an official statement said.
"Unfortunately we had to tell numerous teams which usually come here that it was called off," said SC Berlin managing director Rainer Haegeholz. "We invited them again, and plan to hold it next year on August 31, 2002."
The Rund um Berlin has been run since 1896 (94 editions in total) with stoppages during both wars and also between 1898-1901. This will be the first time since 1945 that the race hasn't been held.
Major Races and Events
September 7-29, 2002: Vuelta
a España (GT) - Preview, stage list
May 11-June 2, 2002: Giro
d'Italia (GT) - Preview, stage list, photos
July 6-28, 2002: Tour
de France (GT) - Full preview & official route details
December 8: Superprestige
Rd 5 (Cat. 1) - Erwin Vervecken
November 29-December 4: Six
Days of Noumea (6D) - Sassone/Neuville victorious
November 26-December 1: Six
Days of Zurich (6D) - Day
6 - McGrory/Gilmore/Schnider win
December 1: Melbourne
Cup on Wheels (IM) - Scott Moller, Keirin,
Sprint, Support
races
December 2: Cyclo-cross
World Cup #2 (CDM) - Sven Nijs again
November 24-December 3: Juegos
Deportivos Centroamericanos (JR) - Final results
December 8-9: Frankfurter
Rad-Cross (Cat. 2) - Alex Mudroch, UK
National Trophy Series #4 (Cat. 3) - Roger Hammond, Grote
Prijs Industrie Bosduin - Kalmthout (Cat. 1) - Bart Wellens, Int.
Radquer Obergösgen (Cat. 2) - Björn Rondelez, Trofeo
Mamma e Papa Guerciotti (Cat. 3) - Enrico Franzoi, Premio
Egondo (Cat 3) - David Seco, Irish
cyclo-cross championships - Robin Seymour
Results: local racing
Australia - CycleWest
Promotions Omnium Series #2, Eastern
Suburbs Summer Criterium Series, Carnegie
Caulfield Tuesday criterium, Southern
Cross Junior Track Open & Madison Cup, Manly
Warringah CC, George
Town Track Carnival, Carnegie
Caulfield CC, Randwick
Botany CC, Gold
Coast CATS CC, Caesar's
Illawarra CC, Caesar's
Illawarra (track)
Denmark - Danish
cyclo-cross Post Cup #3
Italy - Gran
Premio Città di Bassano
Luxembourg - GP
De Kopstal
New Zealand - Cyco
Criterium series
Spain - Elorrio
cyclo-cross
USA - Georgia
Cross Series Championship, Chimborazo
Grand Prix cyclo-cross, Boulder
Cross Rd 6, New
Mexico State Cyclo-x Champs, Sorrento
Cyclo-x & California State Champ's, Boulder
Cross Rd 5, Verge
New England series, Northampton
CC Cyclo-cross Championships, Chris
Cross International CycloCross
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