Caen, France – After so many years of riding in Lance Armstrong’s wake, how will his heir – whoever that may be – cope with the pressure of wearing the race leader’s yellow jersey as the finish in Paris nears?
It’s a question some favorites already are asking themselves.
“I’ve imagined it enough. I think it’ll be normal. I’ll be all right,” American Floyd Landis said after safely completing Thursday’s Stage 5, which was won by three-time former world champion Oscar Freire in a sprint finish.
Race leader Tom Boonen, who placed second, is learning all about the added weight that comes with trying to hang onto the prized jersey that seven-time champion Armstrong made his own from 1999-2005.
“It’s been causing a lot of strain,” said the world champion, whose lead over Australian Michael Rogers grew to 13 seconds. Freire vaulted from 20th to third overall, bumping George Hincapie of the United States down to fourth. They are both 17 seconds behind Boonen.
Although Boonen has won smaller stage races and the treacherous Paris-Roubaix classic, he still is seen – and sees himself – as a sprint contender, not as a favorite for the overall Tour title that will be decided in long time trials and mountain climbs in the Pyrenees and Alps in weeks two and three.
“It’s more heavy for me because I’m not supposed to wear it,” the Belgian said of the yellow shirt that he first took Tuesday and will wear for a third straight day in today’s sixth stage, which marks the end of the first week.
“It’s something I have to work for very hard because I’m not the kind of rider to wear yellow in the Tour,” Boonen added. “I’m very, very proud of it.”
Landis is the kind of rider that could be wearing yellow when the Tour heads out of the Alps back toward the finish in Paris on July 23. The Pennsylvanian is a solid time-trialer and mountain climber and learned from the best. He and Armstrong were teammates before Landis switched to the Swiss outfit Phonak.
Armstrong was a master in building and holding onto Tour leads. He soaked up, even thrived on, the pressure of being in yellow and the center of attraction. He surrounded himself with strong teammates such as Landis who controlled the race, allowing rivals few if any openings to make up lost time.
But this year, in a field depleted by Armstrong’s retirement and a doping scandal that forced out the favorites to succeed him, no single team yet has displayed the dominance that was the hallmark of his U.S. Postal and Discovery Channel squads.
Boonen’s goal is not wearing yellow in Paris but green – the color of the jersey awarded to the Tour’s best sprinter.
He is one point behind Australian sprinter Robbie McEwen, who won the green jersey in 2002 and 2004, in that category. But Boonen has yet to display the explosiveness he showed on the past two Tours, when he won four stages. He blamed his second place Thursday on a mistake in the final sprint.
“I think I’m a little bit too nervous,” he said.
