Inside The Tour

Armstrong in an unassailable position

Two mountain stage wins and blistering form throughout the week have put Lance Armstrong in an almost unassailable position, says Cycling Weekly magazine.

"I ALWAYS worry about something,” Lance Armstrong said at the top of Mont Ventoux, but the U.S. Postal leader’s rivals must be fretting him less and less in this year’s Tour de France.

With 14 Tour stages now in his palmarès, and a four-minute advantage over ONCE’s Joseba Beloki, Armstrong is well on the way to a fourth consecutive overall victory, and it is hard to imagine that anything or anyone can stop the Texan from reaching Paris in yellow.

The chances are that in the Alps Armstrong will be content to let riders who are no threat on the general classification move ahead, while he eases up and waits for the final time trial -- which he has won every year since 1999 -- and the final victory procession down the Champs-Elysées.

Amazingly, Armstrong is still nervous, but after back-to-back wins in the Pyrenees and a blistering ride on the Ventoux, his superiority is unquestionable.

Even Beloki, who spent all of the Pyrenees saying Armstrong could be beaten, now admits all he can do is try to defend his second place.

The Texan believes there are plenty of challenges left to face, and of course there could be crashes or illness.

"You look at the route book, nobody talks about that last stage before the time trial. There’s not a meter of flat,” he pointed out. Even so it would be a colossal surprise if he was to crack now.

Indeed, many race followers are already discussing what the chances are of Armstrong tak-ing not just a fourth, but a fifth or even a sixth Tour. The same people are also looking forward to seeing him prolong his 2002 season a little longer than last year, as it has recently emerged he will be riding at least one August World Cup race, the Classic San Sebastian.

In a Tour condemned by some as monotonous, for UK cycling fans at least the race will have at least one unforgettable moment: the sight of Cofidis rider David Millar storming across the line at Béziers, his arms raised high.

The Scot’s spectacular success is good news all round. Quite apart from giving cycling a higher profile in the UK, Millar’s latest addition to his steadily growing palmarès means his glandular fever nightmare early this year can be forgotten.

As if that were not enough, to judge by his current form, we can once more expect some great Millar rides in the Tour of Spain in September.

Meanwhile, is there any chance of him going for it again on this Friday's transition stage?

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