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Tour de France News for June 30, 2003

Edited by Chris Henry

Hincapie 100 per cent

Photo: © Luc Claessen

Postal workhorse and a key member of Lance's Armstrong's team for the Tour de France, George Hincapie, has expressed he is feeling "100 per cent and ready to go".

In an interview with Cyclingnews, Hincapie revealed the respiratory problems that plagued him earlier in the year and the disappointment of missing the spring classics are now behind him, and the US Postal line-up for the Tour is stronger than ever:

"I felt like I had broken out of this cocoon. What people were telling me throughout - which is hard to see when you're in this illness - is that you're still the same person; you're not going to lose the last ten years of being a professional cyclist," said Hincapie about his road to recovery.

The New York-born rider said he felt his Tour spot was 'earned' after his solid performance at the Volta a Catalunya, where Hincapie almost won the final stage and finished 24th on general classification.

"The team was riding so strongly and they were so many guys riding well. There were no guarantees, but I had confidence in myself; I felt that if I reached the level I was at before, I deserved that spot, and I definitely think that I deserved a spot on the Tour team," he said.

Hincapie also turns 30 years old today, however, the celebrations will most likely be postponed until after the Tour de France ends on July 27. Following the Tour, he plans to ride the remaining races on the World Cup, the Vuelta a España and the World Championships in Canada on October 11.

(See also: Cyclingnews interview with George Hincapie)

Indurain speaks

With the Tour de France fast approaching, the only man to win five consecutive Tours, Miguel Indurain, offered his thoughts on two of the biggest riders in the race. Lance Armstrong will this year challenge for his fifth consecutive Tour, and if successful will join Indurain as holder of that unique distinction. At the same time, 1997 winner Jan Ullrich will make a return to the route du Tour after having missed the 2002 edition due to injury. Indurain, in an interview with German paper Welt am Sonntag, commented on the two men and how they compare on the eve of the centenary Tour.

"Even as a young rider [Armstrong] had incredible self-confidence," Indurain said. "He only lacked consistency. I believe the cancer changed everything. Today he races with a completely different attitude, and is a better rider. He has a mentality which forces others to their knees. He can't have a bad day and crack."

As for Ullrich, Indurain believes the German has matured since his first Tour win, and subsequent difficulties, and is capable of beating the American. "Physically he's a giant," Indurain said of Ullrich. "If he starts to believe more in his own racing ability, then he can win."

"Jan began winning very early, whereas I won my first Tour at 27. Perhaps it was too early for him, because when the first problems began to emerge, he lost sight of his objectives. Instead of riding his own races, he probably thought too much about being beaten by Lance."

While Armstrong appears ready and confident for a successful defence of his title, Ullrich has insisted that this year will be one with modest ambitions, and he will be content with a stage win. Observers of his steady progression since returning to racing in April, however, still tip the German as perhaps the only man who can truly challenge the American.

Post-Tour criterium booking begins

Lance Armstrong has begun his scheduling of criterium appearances after the Tour de France. According to an AP report, Armstrong is due to appear in the Altstadt-Kriterium in Graz, Austria on July 29, two days after the Tour finish in Paris. Like most criteriums, the short course (60km) provides an opportunity for local fans to see their heroes of the Tour up close, and for riders is often a lucrative endeavour as organisers pay generous start fees.

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