BERLIN -- Telekom's Jan Ullrich, the
golden boy of German cycling, may have already lost the Tour de
France unless he can outsmart Lance Armstrong in the Pyrenees,
German cycling commentators said on Thursday.
"Has Ullrich already lost the Tour?" asked a fearful Bild,
Germany's top-selling newspaper.
"Ullrich is strong as a bear, but Armstrong is fiendishly
good," Bild said.
Sueddeutsche newspaper hailed Armstrong's acting ability,
which he combined with his strength to snatch two explosive
stage wins in the Alps.
"Lance Armstrong makes a first-class impression both as an
actor and a racer," the Sueddeutsche said. "It wasn't just his
sporting achievement which amazed in his fast race in the Alpe
d'Huez."
Armstrong gave the impression of struggling in the peleton
during the 10th stage by grimacing on the ascent of Alpe d'Huez
but then raced away for a comfortable victory.
Ullrich is fifth in the overall standings, with France's
Francois Simon in top spot. The German will have a tougher job
making up the time than Armstrong, who has Simon and
second-placed Andrei Kivilev firmly in his sights.
Armstrong, following a plan that took him to victory in 1999
and 2000, was content to conserve energy in the peloton for the
first nine stages of this year's Tour before launching his
attack in the Alpe d'Huez.
He followed that supreme demonstration with another win in
Wednesday's 32-kilometre time trial to gain a significant
advantage over his rivals.
But Ullrich's confidence remains high.
"There's still a good chance of beating Lance," Ullrich was
quoted as saying in Berliner Zeitung.
The paper said Ullrich represented the sole challenge to
Armstrong in the mountains.
"I haven't given up hope. Everyone knows I'm here to win.
I'm feeling good and I can feel my form is getting better every
day," Ullrich said.
He said the three stages in the Pyrenees from Friday to
Sunday would be a tough physical test.
"It's harder than the Alps, because it's three days in a
row," he said.
Ullrich's sporting director at Telekom, Rudy Pevenage
insisted that Ullrich was still strongly in contention.
"As we know from experience, Jan will be stronger in the
second half of the tour. If Armstrong weakens, then we have a
chance. And other teams have still got to put in the work,"
Pevenage told Bild.
German Defense Minister Rudolf Scharping, a keen amateur
cyclist and Tour fan, wrote in his guest column in Bild that
Armstrong looked sure to win at first glance, but agreed the
Pyrenees would be crucial.
"It looks obvious at first glance. Lance Armstrong is
heading for overall victory after winning two stages in a row.
His self-confidence is immense. I'd say he's top favourite,"
Scharping wrote.
"But Armstrong will have to rely on his team to make up the
gap with Kivilev and Simon during the Pyrenees stage. US Postal
can't hold back as they did in Alpe d'Huez, where Telekom did
all the work. And Armstrong's team is weakened," Scharping said.
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Tour de France: Day-by-day
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