RadioShack boss says former teammate’s doping claims are fueling Tour preparations.
After crashing out of last month’s Tour of California, Lance Armstrong (RadioShack) travelled to Europe to prepare for the Tour de France. The seven-time Tour winner added the Tours of Luxembourg and Switzerland to his race schedule in the run up to his attempt at an eighth victory. Fifth place in the 2.7km prologue and finishing in the front group of the split peloton in stage 1 in Luxembourg shows that his form is on target for July, says his long-time director sportif Johan Bruyneel.
“After two days intensive work with Lance,” wrote the Belgian in his column for the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. “I can confidently conclude that the standard of his form looks good for the Tour,”
“Here his confidence is gradually returning,” he continued. “Lance is sitting well on his bike again and is going well in his head. The power is there and Luxembourg is an ideal course to get his rhythm.”
Armstrong has not enjoyed his best start to the year, being forced to abandon most of his spring schedule through illness, followed by the crash in California. Bruyneel is not worried though, as he sees the American is up for the Tour and he thinks he knows why. “His tremendous motivation especially strikes me,” he explained. “Maybe that strength also comes from the remarks of Floyd Landis.”
Further than that Bruyneel is not prepared to discuss the Landis allegations, other than to dismiss them as he has done before “For us, the case was closed,” said Bruyneel. “We will no spend more energy in the case,” he said. “As for Lance, we know that he performs best when he feels exasperated. I notice that now.
“This is perhaps the biggest boost in view of the Tour,” he continued. “When he feels unfairly attacked, then he is at his best on the bike. If he also spared from crashes and setbacks, then fine.”
Towards the end of last year Armstrong admitted that he often created conflict with his rivals in order to get the psychological upper hand; although he claimed that his conflict with then teammate Alberto Contador was real. This year the motivating conflict has been created for him.