Armstrong maintains huge lead

Posted: Friday, July 23, 1999

BORDEAUX, France (AP) - Lance Armstrong is right where he wants to be.

He has left the mountains of the Pyrenees behind and is in control of the Tour de France in the Bordeaux wine country. Victory in Paris on Sunday seems more certain with each passing day.

He stayed safely in the pack on flat ground Thursday, finishing 51st but losing none of his commanding lead of 6 minutes, 15 seconds.

Now, the 27-year-old Texan who has overcome testicular cancer faces only a flat stage Friday and a time trial Saturday. Then comes the final ride up the Champs-Elysees.

Along the countryside, as he makes his triumphant run, the link between Lance Armstrong and Neil Armstrong did not go unnoticed. "Go Lance - Reach the Moon!" read a banner along the route, accompanied by an American flag.

The 17th stage was a 120-mile ride through pine forests and past vineyards. Belgium's Tom Steels won in a sprint for his third stage victory. It would have been his fourth if not for a disqualification in another stage for rough tactics.

Robbie McEwen of Australia was second, and Erik Zabel of Germany was third. Stuart O'Grady of Australia was in position to contest the final sprint, but he fell close to the finish. He was badly bruised but completed the race.

Pavel Tonkov, the Russian who was in 11th place overall, quit the race because of the death of his father. Tonkov, the leader of Italy's Mapei team, is a former Tour of Italy winner.

The day got off to a strange start when a labor dispute greeted the riders. Just three miles into the race, the cyclists were blocked by firemen protesting working conditions. "Angry Firemen!" said a banner. The race had to begin again.

Later, a number of riders found themselves wiping their eyes when a fan threw an unidentified substance onto the road that some said might have been pepper.

An eight-man group broke out after 28 miles and reached a lead of 7:55, before the pack started picking up speed and reeling them in. The group included two national champions, Germany's Udo Bolts and Australia's Henk Vogels.

With almost nine miles left, the pack was grouped again, and the sprinters jockeyed for position.

Armstrong, a day after lashing out at the French media for what he called "vulture journalism," was quiet Thursday, declining to speak at the post-race news conference.

A day earlier, he smiled when reminded by a TV interviewer of the link with Neil Armstrong - but otherwise expressed only anger and frustration with the continued drug accusations.

"They want me to crack on the bike - and I'm not going to," he said.

For two days, the French newspaper Le Monde had reported that traces of a corticosteroid were detected in his urine.

Corticosteroids are anti-inflammatory and pain-killing drugs that are not listed as steroids. They are banned unless prescribed by doctors for a variety of conditions, including asthma.

Cycling's governing body announced Wednesday the only drug Armstrong had been taking was an authorized skin cream for saddle sores.

In an editorial Thursday, Le Monde wrote, "For the time being, there's no proof that Armstrong has taken banned substances."

The newspaper added that the suspicions surrounding the Tour "can't focus solely on Armstrong."

But if he wins, it asked, "Will his superiority lead to doubts being cast over his performance and hint at possible drug abuse?"