PARIS, 24 October 2003 — Lance Armstrong’s bid for a record sixth Tour de France victory next year is set to be decided over one of the most famous 15km stretches ever to feature in the epic race.
The climb up the legendary Alpe de Huez, which is normally part of a longer alpine stage, has been included at the end of this year’s anti-clockwise race as a grueling 15km (9.3 mile) trial over 21 hairpin bends.
Tour organizers yesterday unveiled the 2004 itinerary with the major surprise the inclusion of the Alpine peak for the first time as a time trial — and just four days from the finish on the Champs Elysees on July 25.
Armstrong won the Tour’s last mountain time-trial, a 32km (19.88 mile) climb from Grenoble to Chamrousse, in 2001 where he left Ullrich trailing to effectively take hold of the race.
But the American — who would become the first six-time winner of the Tour if successful at the end of next July - said there was just no comparison betweeen the two time trials.
“There’s quite a bit of difference between it (Alpe d’Huez) and Chamrousse, which is not a very difficult climb,” said Armstrong.
“Chamrousse is fairly easy compared to Alpe d’Huez, so it’s going to be a critical day. It’s probably a day that will decide the Tour.”
The 3,391 kilometer (2,107 mile) Tour starts in Liege on July 3 and winds through Belgium for three days before heading west across northern France and down to Brittany.
Two punishing mountain finishes are scheduled for the Pyrenees, the first at La Mongie after crossing over the Col d’Aspin.
The second Pyrenean stage features six climbs over 217km from Lannemezan to Plateau de Beille before the race heads across the south east of France toward the Alps.
The anti-clockwise direction of the race means that the Alps will be the true battlefield for the likes of Armstrong, Ullrich, his T-Mobil teammate Alexandre Vinokourov, and Euskaltel’s Iban Mayo, who tested Arsmtrong on several occasions this year.
Ullrich’s recent return to Telekom (now T-Mobil) bodes well for his preparations. This year he came close to scoring a major upset, finishing less than two minutes behind Armstrong, despite a few hectic months in the run-up.
And the 29-year-old German, who also admitted the Alps would be crucial, said he is already excited.
