Armstrong L'Alpe Du Huez Time Trial

a very very tough Eilert he dropped out and here's yon Oracle we expected him to be the big Challenger to Lance Armstrong in this year's tour put in a scary attack yesterday let's see just exactly what is in those legs of his if he has the power he's down in the drops he's gonna try to save a little bit of time and every second counts in the time trial in the first kilometer and a half on the flat roads through the village of Borg wasan he was the winner of the Tour Swiss earlier in the year that was a great win we thought that was a the the portent of things to come that perhaps he had reached his highest level and he could come to the tour and fight Lance Armstrong of course he won the tour back in 1997 he's finished second in the tour five different times so beyond ORAC finishing second to pont on e and b arne riise as well as three times the Lance Armstrong second so it'll be very very interesting to see what kind of intermediate X that yon work is capable of doing he's never loved this particular mountain he struggled it out to us in the past but he's a great time trial list he's a good climber he's a very powerful Rider very solid he needs to keep a steady rhythm he can't handle the accelerations as the mountains as we watch axel Merckx come to the finish but yawn or it could put in a very good time we saw the first signs of life from Warwick after being dropped badly in the Pyrenees and yesterday staged a V large Elan that is axel mercs gonna just sneak into the top ten there I believe yes it he will and ninth on the stage Ulrich putting in his first big attack in the tour on yesterday stage it looked like once he got a little bit of momentum he was able to continue to stretch his lead but US Postal never panicked came to the front with CSC it was Floyd Landis and Jose Acevedo setting a tremendous tempo to bring him back into the fold seems to be moving quite well so far this is what Lance Armstrong experimented with when he came to ALP d'Huez earlier this spring we see George Hincapie coming through now Ulric look to be going very quickly there he himself came and practice on ALP do as in the springtime when it was a lot colder when there was no people on the mountain except the intrepid film crew of Poland and we counted their training on LOM still to come the start of Lance Armstrong in the commercial-free half hour from power bar with Philip all [Music] there's only four stages left and tomorrow could be the toughest 132 buys over sixty thousand eight hundred feet of quiet will Lance have enough legs to stay in yellow the Tour de France live tomorrow at 6:30 a.m. Ola cycling design is one of the most critical factors in shaving seconds operation do you want switchback turns about do is in 1952 this mountain troll in history was forever changed no longer would it be just another alpine ski station it will become the cycling Mecca it has decided tours it has also changed riders careers and every cycling fan must come here and see it in person in their lifetime but today's trip up outdoors is something unique something never seen in the history of the mountain an individual time trial nine miles alone just the road and the fans and you know one man has had his eye on this stage since he was first announced and after yesterday's emphatic stage win at Villa de Lance Lance Armstrong now in his trademark yellow can taste a sixth Tour victory it is the cycle ISM on outdo is on OLN at the met we're looking now at the mountain of our doers and it's ten miles to its summit even Basso is all set to go and now there's one man that left it bound down at the bottom there is the man iya Andes Bodhi quick countdown for him in the union we didn't expect to see close in third place and best of t-mobile of course not we expected to see young rule Akira hereabouts but now it's down to the champion of Germany to show us what he's worth bronze medal in the 2000 Olympic Games in - and it's Sydney he's away up ahead of the road yeah Nordic is parting the waters he's gone through equals second after one and a half kilometers and none of the prizewinners at the top went through near the top of the leaderboard they made a much more sedate start this is georg sleeve missed the move yesterday and there he lost time to slip to 7 overall and it was probably due to that attack by ulrich yesterday while he's on the mount him back down to the start out house and we can see the start here aviv ambassador who would want to start 2 minutes ahead of Lance Armstrong on outdoors idol here many volunteers even Basso is underway the manners match Armstrong wheeled 4 wheel they've letter never gained a second between on the two climbs in the Pyrenees nor the one yesterday but today Basso has an impossible task I think of matching this man on this mountain [Music] few deep breaths simple nobody knows that Armstrong thinks right now he's just shuts his mind out there's Sheryl Crow just off in the team car watching thinking she looks more would Ethan Lance Armstrong think she does this is going to be a very difficult ascension for Armstrong he's going to have to go out and get his rhythm sorted out in the first one and a half kilometres when you ride an individual time trial as Armstrong rolls down the ramp now you know after the first kilometer whether or not you're in a good day or not you do indeed Armstrong is away now everybody in the Tour de France is either on the road in the hotels or finish the day but now young Ulrich the next time is know exactly how his climb will come at night five kilometers Armstrong is away as always set and determined riding down the center of the road looking straight ahead this crowd is rated for a week to see the Tour de France are now seeing the departure of the last man of 157 as shortly Armstrong will begin his climb of the out dharini let us not forget is the best man at the set of the penultimate check and his second at the finish I don't really think we need to pay too much attention to the first time check at one point five kilometres or it went through there in a time of two minutes and two seconds it's really the time check at nine and a half kilometers which is going to be the most important bath oh by the way just went through there with the 13th fastest time and that was two minutes and six seconds but it's on the slopes when the time gaps are really go to a even Basso here fill public writing the most important time trial of his career just as a point of interest in the individual time trial in May in the dope in a libero he left five minutes to Lance Armstrong in seventeen and a half kilometers [Applause] as in the post like lying there in the left and there as we're watching now Yvonne Basso continuo sway up the mountain and don't forget you're watching a commercial free half-hour brought you by PowerBar as the riders are all out on course now Stefan goober had a great tour de france for ag2r as he heads up towards the finish and just look at this port here we go goober just slipping away slightly but continues a superb Tour de France for this man and his team ag2r as he comes up to the line now he's 21st overall at the start of the day and this sort of a performance could see him go off one or two places as goober hits the line and now goober in fact starting behind Oscar severe who is now behind him so he's taken in not having a great Tour de France I think somewhat demoralized by the fact that his team leader Tyler Hamilton had to abandon the race but the battle really Phil is here at the back wearing number one this man has ridden the out the res on so many occasions there's a lot of people out here they're getting out of the way at the last possible moment Armstrong is completely in uttering ignoring them he's leaving the responsibility of the spectators to get out of the way just before he gets there he's just gone through that what we call the no helpful 1.5 killer me to check in 9th place for second behind Cancellara who's now washed away in the center of the resort board three seconds behind a Yank ulrich which might be a guide I don't really think I need to take much attention to that first one and a half kilometres time chip because the big time differences are going to be on the slopes of the mountain from what I call kilometres zero when the race just kicks up towards the skies and the first 500 meters of this climb are believably difficult to they're straight up in front of you you maybe won't get that scared here this afternoon because if you won't really see the ink line because of the crowd that have turned out to see this race it's absolutely amazing everybody stretching here till efficient landing the economy should see a new best time here now see if he can reduce the graveyard he's been to do throughout the race he might just have enough time there to go over Santos Gonzalez as he lines up for the finish can see the clock that's enough enthusiasm from him to kick out of that corner he's got just ten seconds to get to the line now I think that'd be a carpet is going to make it it'll be desperately close we talked in terms of a second in there this climb about Thursday it's going to be that close he is going in the outside can you believe that he's slow toward the end third place at the moment 4156 remember he's backing down the white jersey between sandy casar and Thomas of Oakland currently he's third in that competition very good right by this young man he posted fast times out on the course and he really wants to finish it off he realizes today's a big chance for him to take time back on Casa on Brooklyn we're back with arms from last man on the road he knows this climb intimately he's been here so many times over the last few months he came here in May to ride get out of the way please Bob strong on the climb and the crowd have cut down the width of the road about doing by more than 75% I would think but still up there how and what are the sporting event you get this close to your favorite bike rider Armstrong still going in that fast cadence as he climbs this is carlos sastre also leaving his mark along along the way I don't think it'll be best time it will be very close to the time of gliding mere carpets these riders are going quicker and quicker now as they arrive at the checkpoints and as he comes under that banner he's going to go through in second best time 25 minutes and 3 seconds old Carlos Sastre also thinking of the team award for Team CSC well at the finishing line where all of the effort is over and the nervous waiting begins it is still a Santos Gonzalez a fraction of a second just on the 4:45 hundreds over Guarini vladimir carpets has slotted in in third place among coochie who was the leader is down to fourth and Stefan goober is fit Michael Rogers holding a fifth place equal at the moment just look at the back of Armstrong there just at the bottom of that yellow section of Jersey the small square box that's his onboard radio he's getting information all of the time relayed to him in his helmet the hell in fact has a built-in earpiece to let him know what the time gaps part of all of the riders up the road we've only got three time checks on the open road at one and a half kilometres nine point five and twelve point five but I'll be absolutely certain Armstrong has got some men out on the course taking time checks at different points to know just exactly how they other favorites of bearing Norwegian flag on the rides their champion in Norway is finished tore her shop the deluxe is Oh Oleg is not very far enough away now from that nine and a half kilometer check meanwhile lads arms on much the smoother rider of the two isn't he using his whole body here but keeping his gears low where he's seen how Olek appears to be going much slower because of the slope lady pedaling cadence he really does change that pence peddling cadence - and unbelievably efficient style when he was a young rider I remember Lance when he turned professional back in 1992 after the Olympic Games in Barcelona he used to climb on force as they say in professional cycling used to climb with big gears but the problem with climbing with big gears if you cannot recuperate throughout the day you can do it for one climb or two climbs but you cannot do it for six climbs he went away after cancer and developed this height peddling cadence that he's got which is really very much only his own ability to do that and he's turned it into something that dams his competitors to second or third or fourth place especially designed skinsuit here is just about stretches over his body that he breeds as well as he now continued buddy the lightest fight of what whole of the last of the riders to go further up the climb is all with and he must be getting desperately close now to the first check of the day because 147 riders have gone through there as sastra wasn't the best time there if that carpet still holds the best time at nine and a half 24 minutes and 56 seconds interesting to know there that this man here yellow it has got clip-on bars in the center I can't see any of the other major contenders have actually opted for the aerodynamic clip-ons in the center of their machines here and Basle now going around the small corner in a moment's time he would be able to look up and see the finishing town of Abdul Aires right up in front of him but unfortunately it is still an awful long way to go as an orphan low riders going up in just over 41 minutes at the moment about though is it is quite incredible how quickly they really are climbing we've entered are we anticipated our finishing time of 44 the top man it's going to be a special time a bit this is not Sabre terrifically solid torque offenses behind saber lost the game a little bit yesterday if a lifetime has just gone through the nine and a half kilometres time check there with the time mare which is 11th currently four to six seconds slower than vladimir carpets he went through in 24:56 so as we're looking now at the bride is going up the mountain let's have a look what the mountain itself looks like it starts easy enough in the valley but then we just go straight up the mountain it's got all of these bins on it 21 formers every one of them today line with the people there's no real respite once you get to the village of wares you look up in it's three miles or five kilometres still to climb but that's the first time you will see the chalets of ALP d'Huez it gets no easier and the crowd only gets bigger and the shouting gets louder and Lance Armstrong closing down today's stage of the Tour de France as he sweeps up from at the last position and they were waiting for time checks now which will give us all of the answers life himer has gone through still only eleven and the nine point five millimeter check Armstrong is not doing anything at all to slow down his pedaling revolutions here is going nice and fast he's probably dreaming about kilometres when he would get into an area where the race has been barrier dauphin he would have space to breathe he will have space not to worry about the competitors the spectators running alongside and the big battle this afternoon is basically between two men as far as I'm concerned number sixty one year even Basso who since the start of this race has only been separated in time from Lance Armstrong on the Prolog time trial and in the team time trial as well he's separated by Armstrong in the overall classification right the minute and 25 seconds it's going to be interesting to see what that is by the end of today and Basso and Armstrong are very good friends indeed their own rival teams and of course they both wanna win the Tour de France or the friendship is over they are one-on-one now may the best man take at the race lead and that race lead today's on the shoulders of Lance Armstrong what a horrible position to be in two minutes ahead of the greatest bike ride of the Tour de France has known for years and by Sunday might be the greatest it is ever Noah and this rider having to ride the mountain now knowing that Armstrong is behind him awesome start the day a minute 25 seconds ahead overall on Basso three minutes 22 on Andrews closer a massive 539 amongst a bow and six minutes 54 Ulric those are big gaps and today on songs ambition will be to prize them open even more and at the moment it looks as though according to this graphic he is moving slightly ahead well that's a virtual time gap between the two Armstrong on the left hand side and even basa a minute 25 at the start of the day currently if we stop the race now it would be a minute and 44 that's not a really exact time measurement that coming to us because of our ability to use TPS on the two motorbikes for the following these riders yes but they gives us a good guidance that in fact it does appear that Armstrong is slightly up in these first crucial opening kilometres on outdoors and I'm sure that day yo have been able to convey that information to Armstrong here is young Ulrich now the way to pay him to get up to the check and we've had 149 riders through there at the moment we've just seen well we didn't just say that he's damn cool they're cocky Ola has gone to 16th dive in 53 seconds slower and still the best time at that carpets oldearth might reshape a little bit when he gets that she's big powerful man you know like you can see he's gripping onto those bars in the center I'm not sure that's a very good idea in a mountain town car like this he could be bucks better search by having his arms out towards the extremities of his handlebars and that were permitted to open his chest that little bit more and to breathe that aerodynamic position is not really that infinite in a race like this because you're only riding at an average speed of about 22 kilometres now 12 and a half or 13 miles an hour auric has the heaviest bike but interestingly enough he has the longest cranks on his bicycle to a hundred and seventy seven millimeters his pranks are and that German supported there I think was just slowing him down in the cornice now that's that's crazy that's not what you want to see she'll be out of air there gets his strength immunity to run so far but that's not what we're under siege running in front of the rider wasn't all saudis line and for the mentor application to the job in hand it is very very disturbing said it's the pressure of the day is the pressure of the Tour de France and it's the pressure of being the first time ever that the races time trial of this mountain and it is something that CAD is wanted for years and they've come in their thousands almost 1 million of them are tuned these riders at the mountain but I think is incredible about this eventful is that if you look at the different flags that have been supported at the side of the road the Basques the Germans the French they're all cheering every rider who's trying to get up this mountain there's no question of choosing them your own nationality not clearing the other bike riders everyone is cheering the bike riders of the Tour de France who they are because they have met tour the effort that the riders are mating we're making it we've heard the conversations going on between riders and supporters of all at home when I before [Music] and the German says he said Armstrong he's better than yon Ulrich but we're still gonna cheer for Ulrich and that's fair enough we saw a rock coming into the finishing straight and it's not one of the best times in the world but I think it will be one of the best crowd cheers that we've received so far because this man is a very popular bike rider in France on his way to a little record of his own - he most likely take that polka dot Jersey to Paris for the seventh time this face has he been out for the ride I'm not sure so as you've started yet as he comes up here to Claire about a top-25 finish almost a casual approach to the day because tomorrow watch out from every sharper run he'll be off an early attack because he could wipe out everybody in that mountains competition tomorrow from the wrong at the top to Armstrong now at the bottom avoid Clah by the way has gone through Paul the first Czech 84th position two minutes down two minutes 39 seconds to be precise this young man I think he's lost a lot of his energy over the last few days he battled so much he turned his body inside now he's going to have to pay the bill of all of the energy that is used check this out if you wouldn't mind at nine point five kilometres this is a teammate of Lance Armstrong an unbelievable by rider but I think you feel earlier in the year we said watch out for Jose Acevedo and I think we were right as we switched the finish actress tomorrow night places he races towards the line a good but not great driver pissed off he's done this before he is a solid climber and it's a good finish nonetheless 10th place that we stopped our own for the moment 4306 so now we have another US Postal rider locked in at number one spot at nine point five kilometers Jose Acevedo is now a 60 seconds quicker than carpets now the arrival of Eric and the proximity of Ohrid I think is going to give us a best time here has over ik star still there's the clock he's got to get around the corner to it but ya know Ricky looks to me just lumbering up the climb like a steamroller he's actually riding very very quickly indeed look at the time the time to be oh say a survey love 24 40 he's got a minute to stop that clock yeah or if he's going to stop it well inside of that he may well look like his lumbering an amazing look like a steamroller but this man is sheer power he climbs as the French say of force he uses a massive gear and just rolls it over the big difficulty is when the incline gets steeper he's not able to conclude produce the effort this looks to me as if we're going to see a replay of the Sean Roos time in 2001 time you might be right to 24:07 Fei Yan or EXO the Kaiser is firing on all guns now as he continues on the climb look at that face Oh Riko I think was a bit offended when people started saying that he was no longer had a love for the bicycle and he was fast falling out of love with the Tour de France where in the last two days I think he's changed his mind his sham ruse Armstrong won over the second at one minute and his clawed and washed away to almost 5 I think code would be a lot closer this time back to Lance Armstrong lower down sweeping up now further down the slopes exactly the same pedaling style you know look at the way goes around these corners he knows this race intimately even though he said that the Tour de France wouldn't be won on the slopes of the outdoor where's he spelt spent a lot of time when he heard from the race organization in the month of October last year that the ALP d'Huez was going to be an individual time trial I think he wanted it at that moment and he's worked to that aim ever since in about ten minutes time we'll know if he's going to do it next man to arrive at the master master and Sabo this is global looking at I think we'll see a very good time here from Andrea Scobie as we continue and this will be a very good right these are the flying legs of the Lance Armstrong and don't forget you are watching a commercial three half hour brought you by a PowerBar as Lance Armstrong pedals that lower gear and the high cadence and already through is ulrich laying down the gauntlet his arch rival again is saying you're not getting rid of me as easy as that well this is old Rick still living with life a little bit of a way at the road the next man to go through the mile 1/2 kilometer check will be Francisco month a boat and that's of course what we they want to see to see it man Sabre is staying in the picture on this race Olek would like to get over the top of him at the nine and a half kilometres check Oh Rick is ahead in 24:07 Acevedo is second vladimir carpets who rests with the third best time on top of the mountain behind Santos Gonzalez and Giuseppe Guinea had the third best time there this is Rasmussen spitting around the corner looks as though Pereira is calling me up and Pereira has gone over the top of him so Rasmussen has lost a two minutes are here a perello coming into the seventh best finish óscar Pereiro again another teammate of Tyler Hamilton who trained so well to be alongside Hamilton in this Tour de France sadly Hamilton not able to get as far as they out and so Pereiro done well still no chance here to look at Armstrong spike here weighs in at just outside of 6.8 kilos and he hasn't got to clip on bars like Yan or Rick looking down through the crowd this is a sensible man Sabo this is the inter me pointed who as always on the difficult thing I think about this time check here is for when you go around that corner to the time shake and you just raise your head upwards you can see the finishing line at the outdoors right up in the summit of the climb cradle in the middle of this crater of mountains and you realize I've still got to get up there I've still got about 20 minutes to go Masek is even taking time for a drink there this is another great ride by manse a boat with white jersey winner of the Tour de France in the year 2000 and he's faced the best position of seven well he was 10th overall last year and he's going to go through slightly behind that position on the stage today is he comes up to the line he is actually showing signs of cracking in the Tour de France I think man save oh he missed the move yesterday and now he's falling away from the big boys at this sort of a time here at 9 1/2 kilometers that's meant to get to that time check is going to be this man the champion of Germany dubbed as possibly the replacement leader for Team / Andreas klöden he was a man who a few years ago we really tipped for stardom when he won Perry nice in a very dominant fashion since then he struggled to try and keep himself at the top end of the overall classification in any bike race but I think here he's actually riding into a different part of his career and look at this not too far away from his leader he's catching man Sabo here too because he's coming around for the check and he's going to be second best time as he comes down and might slip away slightly but he's obviously eating into the start time of two minutes from an save oh I'd say was having a poor ride he's gone through a minute forty behind young Ulrich cloten goes through second best just 27 seconds behind young Ulrich this is not the same Andreas klöden who finished in 19th place in the Tour de France individual time trial to sham ruse way back in 2001 this is a completely different man you look here at Armstrong you can see the slightly different color that skin suit down the sides that's to allow his body just to breathe that little bit more because these skin suits are aerodynamic Jill better Simoni now he's never posted any fast times out on the course but he is a great mountain climber yes well he's still fighting for a reasonable position but until he concentrates on the Tour de France especially so he's nothing to get any further as we know in his home tour the Tour of Italy twice the winner of that second that this year he comes in their 15th place this is the face of anguish globe we found himself this year well and truly and he's looking for the podium finish now in Paris he knows a great ride today will probably give him it go survive an incredibly hard day tomorrow there's no question of that but he's gone through on in 27 seconds behind the pace set adjust now young Ulrich they're the first two are waiting for now for their Basso Basso looks as though he's riding pretty well on this side this is Santos Astra call us go further mountain he is the third losing a little bit of ground but he has been up on the leaderboard all of the way this is gonna do team CSE the world of good at for the team race of which they are the current leaders as it hits the line he gets fifth best do it 0-8 good ride by Carlos Sastre to keep himself well up there in the overall classification now this is the face of even Basso he will be coming up to the time check at nine point five kilometres we don't really have that much of a time check font even Basso but here for the first time we can see that he's rivaling the mentor the top end of the overall classification I think he will just possibly slip outside the time of Andreas klöden but he should be third and that's an indication that he's handling this mountain well this is a Basso Yves ambassador now arriving at the first serious check of the day point number two at nine and a half kilometers for only fastest and Armstrong I think is not going to be that far behind you know he's here but this is he heading up to the same check he BAM Basso could be giving away two minutes here in just about ten kilometers here comes the man stamping on those pedals Armstrong absolutely flying peddling that like you would never believe is about to go around that corner and set the best time 24:07 is the best time of young Ulrich vivre and Basso and his entourage have only just gone up and around that straight as Lance Armstrong is going to stop the clock with the best time at this twenty three minutes and as he heads up towards the banner about a half a minute let's see where he stops it now best time 23:28 Lance Armstrong is about to crown a wonderful day on out doers forty seconds faster than yen Ulrich at this point which is absolutely remarkable or than a minute already ahead of given Basso yanil Rick is still rolling up this mountain with the absolute power which is his speciality he's a strong bike ride he's a beast of a man on a bike he is riding with unbelievable strength compared to Armstrong in fact I would believe that yang auric develops a lot more power but Armstrong strength comes from his ability to use a very small gear and turn it over very quickly very much like a motor racing car that can go up to high revolutions he's got the ability to change his pedaling style and change his accelerations going around the corners but look at his face filter he wants this win but he's dreamed about it since the route was announced in October there's no question about that and the MIOSHA now at the end of the first check the best time 23:27 Jan Ullrich is at twenty four seven forty seconds behind him at nine and a half kilometres and six kilometers to ride it's only three and a half miles but it's a mountain and it doesn't get easier that first time check there the first series time check as I like to call it at nine point five kilometres Armstrong has already beaten even Basso by a minute and 15 seconds and once he gets a little bit further up the mountain into this area here he will a be able to just see where the position is of Ivan Basso out onto the open road this is young Ulrich ease into the safer part of the course now where he can ride and get himself into a rhythm he always amazes me by the strength and determination that he puts in don't discount this man from finishing second people tend to discount yeah Ulrich too easily he is such a powerful bike rider he's also a very brave and courageous champion while he's demonstrated that today by putting time into his younger teammate andreas klöden who is slightly slower of that first Czech than him and it looks like we're getting the collapse of man save always means it only could find himself in fourth and challenging his own for the third place finish for Basso could be tracking also big time I might be losing all of the gains it's a bit different for holding on to a wider who's on your shoulder than having to go out and do it all by yourself Basso could handle Armstrong as he showed in the mountains over three days they didn't gain a second they finished alongside each other but now it is a matter of the race of truth it's all down to you and you alone now Armstrong is on a run away he is writing himself into the history books at the Tour de France and when we look back with hindsight it could be right here on out doers where he did it the amazing thing about the effort required and an individual time trial is you've really got to personally hurt your body when you're riding up a mountain with somebody else you can just try that little bit harder to stay in contact with them but when you're on your own the effort is multiplied probably by a factor of five or six y'know what an unbelievable reputation this man has had what it unbelievable [Applause] so the pain there on UNIX face five kilometres to go now for the MIOSHA and with every pedal Rev I do believe he is gaining time over everybody in the Tour de France [Applause] Lance Armstrong stamping under the five kilometer to go banner three miles from the summit II can only be a matter of time now before he sees even Basso this is Levi Leipheimer coming in at the summit of the mountain it would be a very respectable time for Levi remember he is in the top ten in the Tour de France and wants to go a little bit better than that 43:47 is his finish time twenty thirty finish just moments ago back to the lower slopes at the mountain inside that five kilometers to go now for Lance Armstrong Ulrich is still setting the best time at twelve and a half kilometers he's gone through in 34 37 foot ORAC while Eric is blazing the trail which is being knocked out only by Armstrong Armstrong so it looks like the old rivalry has returned to the Tour de France Ulrich has come back to a degree of fitness that can match almost everybody else Basso I think the longer this vine goes on will find themselves in that little bit more trouble because there must be a slight draught up behind him right now because I think the air of Armstrong is only a few seconds behind he will certainly be hearing the crowd just that little bit further back down the road cheering on Armstrong and he will for hear that roar actually approaching him and that has got to be very bad for your psychology further up the road though y'ain't auric is still looking comfortable he'll look up at that banner which will indicate to him it's not too far to go to the finish just two kilometers these in the easiest part of the course here it starts to level off if he's feeling good he can lock the gear ratio up just a fraction and start to roll that big gear and that's his advantage this is when we come into the terrain of young Ulrich the a can used Mississippian look at this this is a virtual time split if we stop the race now Armstrong would have a three minute and three second advantage over even basa in the old location which is absolutely enormous of course and that's our strong struggle and yes that was the word struggled his final winning margin was just 61 seconds and now he could be going away from the out tonight with the best part for minutes because he's absolutely stopping up this hill at the moment Holdren is setting the best times ahead of him arm Sandow is improving that when he gets there and his clothes can't feel that safe from his own teammate a young organizer look at the face of this man now he is over the top on the side the easy road and quarry has slipped those gears up and he is fighting there every second this man has got courage and nothing else he's a great boy rider don't discount them you don't come to the Tour de France on six occasions and never finished lower than second if you don't have a big engine and yeah norok has a big engine the fact that we're pulling out here indicates Armstrong is within sight of even Basso there is only a hundred meters at four kilometres to go separating even Basso from Lance Armstrong Phil I told you this was gonna happen this morning where we felt he wouldn't survive two minutes a Basso didn't ride well against odds on my mom gone to in the dolphin ate every dog song himself didn't ride particularly well on Attock either but now Armstrong is in his beloved Tour de France and today I think he made the foundations in the team title let's say he's laid the foundations here on out doers to win his record six Tour de France there isn't the person on the Tour de France now not even the riders who believe they could stop this run away there is the relationship to the only man who could ride with Armstrong in the Pyrenees and on yesterday's Mountain stage and now the free our song is catching him this is gay on top coming up towards the line he's seventh overall at the moment and is coming in with around the ninth best time he'll just hang on Santos Gonzalez still the leader at the finish let us not forget as tots just about might hold on a place in the top he'll allow he almost hit the barriers then he made such an effort he's in for the 11th time just now I think he must have closed his eyes there as he was charging up to the finishing line this is your say Acevedo no this is it'll be business teammate this is going to be a very good time he's actually been posting the best times out on the course and then getting knocked off the top by a certain ya know Rick and then knocked a little bit further back by his own team leader Lance Armstrong for the moment this will be the best time Jose Jose after bado comes up towards the finish now the Portuguese rider who could be a top three finish in his own right in the Tour de France where he chose to race for Armstrong this for the moment 4126 unbelievable unbelievable ride by this young man twenty two point four five kilometres an hour only a fraction of the average speed of Marco Pantani a few years ago Armstrong has not close down the gap between himself and even basa with the team car that black car you saw just disappearing around the corner was the court of diva at the car of even Bassam started 2 minutes ahead of blood man fell he really got into the heart of the French public over the last 10 days he's had a very difficult ascension here of the ALP d'Huez his face it when we see at full frontal like that is a familiar one now but I don't have you could hear the crowd but he's a lot of friends out there right now as Walker comes up don't worry about his lowly position this man has left his mark on the telephones and that's the best year of the day for 80th place 5th place where that's not what's important this man has lived in the heart of the French muffling now coming into the finishing straight this is going to be the new best time where it's gonna take away as the bailiffs 4126 pretty convincingly only drive to the top but the banners got so much power we thought he was gonna drop away for the Tour de France in two days he's put himself right back in it 40:42 he finished like a sprinter 40:42 for an ORAC unbelievable what a sprint what a finish yet a lot of power left towards the end there is even basa you can see his shoulders going down the top of his body is going from side to side he's looking for more power he's saying Bridge to engine room more power but there is not any more power compare that to the style of the man behind him in the yellow jersey bouncing on those pedals you can feel the energy you can feel the nervousness in Armstrong's pedaling action he knows he's got this race in the bag he wanted to catch the man who was two minutes in front of him I wonder if you look across as he goes by I wonder Armstrong is now exactly as they crossed three minutes 25 seconds in the lead in the Tour de France now it's going to be more than that a little glance they came from Basso nothing came from Armstrong Armstrong remains concentrated Basso trying to lift himself as he has them on his shoulders are the three great mounting days but this time I think those shoulders and legs are beginning to creat an invidious position to start two minutes out of Armstrong Armstrong is just cutting through the field this is the difference between riding on your own and riding in a group eben Basso has been able to mount much March himself a gate young a case Lance out from over these big mountain passes he's been able to lift his pedaling style lifts his cadence to stay in contact with the big man from Texas but when you have to make that effort on your own in a solitary confinement it is not the same man and look at those American flags flying high now as they've done for five years past I think they'll be an awful lot in Paris now because Armstrong is going to become the first man ever to win the Tour de France six times I can't see anybody touching in there's nobody left one by one he has destroyed them and the man who dared to try and match him he's just passed him just passed him look at that acceleration coming into the corner he's coming up to the flatter part of the course as he now knows he can lift up his acceleration he can knock his gear ratio up a little bit more as he tries to pick himself up from what at the bottom of the climb was an average of 20 kilometres now as we get into the town here of outdoors he will pick up his average speed for 23 24 kilometres an hour which is really not very much at all though it is not is it as the riders continue now up towards the finish about doers remember this is our commercial free half-hour brought you by power bar that is the view per rider who is still second in the Tour de France Armstrong going into the distance this is the moment now Lance Armstrong with every pedal Rev is going further ahead in the Tour de France he whose treatment is 25 of when he caught even Basso he's now three minutes 45 up and counting and counting he's looked at the Facebook it's unbelievable the concentration of this now he spent a lot of time this year going out onto the open roads of France to try and learn almost every critical moment of the Tour de France he's riding a splendid individual time trial here he started two minutes on the road behind a van Basso he's already wiped out that and he's still extending his advantage and we're still waiting for the arrival of andreas klöden who can't be far now but I'll tell you who's riding very close to Eric is Andreas klöden he said not being beat Armstrong that chose to catch this man at 12.5 kill Anita check where his lead was exactly two minutes the difference when he left the start house two minutes behind now continues it must be a wonderful feeling he knows now he has no competition because he's caught the man nearest to him he is gaily all of the way he knows he's got the best time in the road here does Andreas klöden now heading up to the finish and he is catchy man Sabo and he's wiping out the Spanish rider Roman sabor was certainly not feeling in this is an unbelievable crowd here though the out the res we are looking at a great challenge there let's not forget that all week has posted the fastest time in a time of 40 minutes and 42 seconds ahead of Lance Armstrong's own teammate yo se Acevedo will cross the line in 41 26 but I think we could be looking at the second time here coming from Andrews Chloe and the man who disappeared from the top level of the sport for two or three years is right back now and his biggest rival for a place in Paris is going to be yeah thorak his team captain cloten is now fighting his own team for a top finish because that with a collapse at man table here is being caught for two minutes Yahoo Rick will probably slot into fourth place now overall cloten will hold third and there surely the incentive there for float to outstrip now second at the finish though and only 40 seconds behind Oh Rick Aldergrove virtually the same climb all the way up well that's two good riders by Google rides by the t-mobile team that arm from can't be that far away he's already gone past even basa he would be the next man to come to the finishing line and this unbelievable cadence that he's adopted since he survived testicular cancer is what has allowed him to become one of the best climbers in the world he picks his way around that corner there see how he used the extremity of the corner to make sure he didn't lose any momentum at all as he notches up even further that gear ratio in his he is now looking up to see the red flag in front of him one to go that should take him around about a minute and 15 seconds on the slopes of the climb here because he's reached finally the flattest part of the course well the best time is young Ulrika we thought 40 minutes would do it it's 40 42 it could be the 39 minutes of a long one will actually decide this climb and that is incredible and the bad news is there will be some riders eliminated if that's the time he does that is the time that he stops the clock that will be one or two run as I feel eliminated from the bike race here this afternoon if not it will be a very close call and especially for riders like David bra Marty who's posted the slowest time of the event here at around about 54 minutes but that's not a concern of this man in the yellow jersey his concern today is that once again he's opening up his advantage over every one of his competitors and rivals in the Tour de France 2004 Lance Armstrong today has confirmed he is the new man on the block he is the only rider to have won the Tour de France six time he now has to ride to Paris stay out of trouble but knowing the attitude of Armstrong he'll gain more time on the road at every possible opportunity here he comes now I said it earlier the majority of this crowd in the street I'm sure is American and they were welcome the arrival of Lance Armstrong the king of the Tour de France yet again listen to the crowd they are chilling him to the line he is gonna beat 40 minutes for the crime absolutely scene he can do it as well every second counts in this man's life as on some races to the line now well beaten and still second as Armstrong hits the line this time he will do it in 45 minutes and 41 seconds at twenty three point four four kilometres never 15 miles an hour that is unbelievable what the slopes of the outdoors and you know what Phil that is almost exactly the same time gap as 2001 where he beat ya know rink by a minute let's not forget we still have to wait for the second man over wall to come to the line he is finding a little bit more energy to come up there eighth time for even passive it's not a bad time at all no where you go for but he's lost himself almost two and a half minutes but there is the man who dominated the outdoors here this afternoon Armstrong Lance Armstrong that has done the job like you would not believe he'll need bonus three cover for this as they try to keep the rush of the press away from him and rub him down a few deep breaths is required now Lance Armstrong in winning his a nineteenth stage in the Tour de France he increases his overall lead convincingly in the Tour de France he had one rival before the start of the day except the race itself on the road to Paris look at this face he was probably looking up at the clock on the finishing line of wanting to get himself inside of about 40 minutes everybody said today that the time would be around about the forty minute bomb but he wanted to make sure that his time stopped at 39 minutes and it did 39 minutes and 41 seconds and that average speed that he posted there I think is going to be very close to a new record for the ascent of Mount do s what a brilliant performance but built this port this performance the foundations of the performance here were laid months ago in the month of May and the month of June when he came here on two occasions to look of this course to look at this climb specifically 61 seconds he beat Ulrich why does that tell you something he won the tour last year over Ulrich by 61 seconds and it's all here on out doers absolutely remarkable the energy and the power that he was still dissipating at the end is absolutely remarkable he wanted to stamp his authority and you were rightful you know in this man's life every second does count yeah it does Armstrong has had a perfect day on the mountain he's grown to love and he's won his 19th stage we look down on outdo as now and there's a million people on this climb I don't know who counted them but I think we could have all have told them as we look up the slopes of the fabled mountain of Alpe d'Huez it has revealed one that Lance Armstrong as the man who will go to Paris and will become the first rider ever to win his sixth Tour de France as I say he's eliminated all of his riders on bikes his only fear now is the Tour de France itself on the road to Paris we'll be back for the podium stay with us

Channel: John G

Views: 696,070

Rating: 4.5494218 out of 5

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Id: J-M88cfsUl0

Length: 47min 59sec (2879 seconds)

Published: Sun Apr 23 2017