Lance Armstrong held onto third place overall as the Tour of Luxembourg came to an end Sunday, putting the 38-year-old cyclist closer to the condition he'll need for the 2010 Tour de France.
Armstrong shared the podium with overall winner Matteo Carrara of Vacansoleil and second-place finisher Frank Schleck of Saxo Bank.
The leader of Team RadioShack, which won the team classification, told reporters after the race that he felt good about the finishing on the podium, especially considering the illnesses and crash that marred his spring season. He's quoted at Reuters:
“Any time you can win a race, be on a podium, in preparation it's important. I wouldn't have thought I would ride so strong this week.”
Weather assist
Armstrong had started the final stage of the Tour of Luxembourg in 3rd place overall. As a sudden thunderstorm swept in and flooded parts of the course on Sunday, Armstrong got some help after race judges cancelled the final two circuits. According to CyclingNews:
“Lance Armstrong (RadioShack) finished in the main field, almost three minutes back and would have lost third place overall. However because of the adverse weather conditions, the race judges decided to nullify the time gaps, meaning that Fränk Schleck (Saxo Bank) retained second place and Armstrong was still third overall.”
While Armstrong's main Tour de France rival, Alberto Contador, competes at the Critérium du Dauphiné this week (Contador won the prologue later Sunday), the Texan will scout out the course for the Tour de Suisse that he plans to ride beginning next Sunday. It has longer time trials and longer climbs than the Tour of Luxembourg.
That will be his last race before the Tour de France, which rolls out July 3 – 25.
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