Lance Armstrong knows there’s only one place where the leader’s yellow jersey really counts in the Tour de France: at the finish on the Champs-Elysees on July 25.
“We’re not going to sacrifice the team to defend the yellow jersey in the north of France. The time to work and defend begins in the Pyrenees,” Armstrong said Wednesday.
The five-time champion grabbed the yellow jersey Wednesday, leading his U.S. Postal Service squad to victory in a rain-soaked team time trial.
“It really was a special day,” Armstrong said. “I was just smiling on the bike. It was like a dream.”
The 32-year-old Texan shouted instructions to his teammates during the 40-mile ride from Cambrai to Arras.
“He says, ‘C’mon guys, you can do it!”‘ teammate George Hincapie said. “He’s just a ball of energy. It’s almost like it’s his first Tour de France.”
In blinding rain on water-logged roads that caused some rivals to crash, the Postal Service team averaged 33.3 mph — the third-fastest pace in a team event.