PAU, France — In his final days of his final Tour de France, Lance Armstrong showed some of the old fire.
The seven-time champion fought from beginning to end in the hopes of going out with a stage victory in the Pyrenees.
It was not to be. Armstrong finished sixth after breaking away early in the 16th stage and holding his own through four major climbs of the Tour’s most demanding leg. But he lost in a final sprint, with Frenchman Pierrick Fedrigo winning the 124-mile ride.
Alberto Contador was almost seven minutes behind, but his Astana team asserted control over the field. The defending champion from Spain kept the overall lead, eight seconds ahead of Andy Schleck of Luxembourg.
The two rode a day after Contador apologized for the way in which he took the yellow jersey.
On Tuesday, Armstrong broke away on his own at one point before he was caught by a small group of riders. All of which was a bit of a change for the 38-year-old Texan.
“It was harder than I expected. It’s been awhile since I sprinted,” he said. “Just not quick enough. I’m not the best guy in the race, but I still have the spirit of a fighter. . . . I wasn’t fast enough in the end. Fedrigo is very fast, and he deserves the win.”
The Tour ends in Paris on Sunday, and Armstrong acknowledged his career was nearing the finish.
“Lance Armstrong is over in about four days,” he said.
Armstrong’s coach, Johan Bruyneel, said the course was not ideal for Armstrong.
“You really have to be very, very strong to ride away,” he said. “And there’s always going to be one or two guys with him, who are equally strong in the sprint.”
Contador lauded Armstrong’s effort.
“I believe he really wanted to go for that stage today,” he said. “For myself, I would have been really happy if he had won that stage because he really deserved it.”
Second place went to France’s Sandy Casar, with Spain’s Ruben Plaza third.
The stage featured two climbs that are so difficult they aren’t even classified by cycling’s governing body. The leading group finished the race in 5 hours, 31 minutes, 43 seconds. The stragglers were almost 35 minutes behind.
It was the third successive French victory in this year’s race and the sixth in all.
“It was my day. Everything smiled on me,” said Fedrigo, who also won a stage in 2009 and 2006 and has regularly been part of breakaways in this year’s race. “This shows that it isn’t only the great leaders who can win on the Tour de France, it’s also the general riders.”
Schleck was unable to get away from Contador and make up the time he needs to regain the yellow jersey and build a buffer for Saturday’s time trial, where Contador is expected to excel.
At a glance
Tuesday’s 16th stage of the Tour de France:
Stage: The 16th stage took the riders on a 124-mile ride from Bagneres-de-Luchon to Pau that featured four major climbs, including the Col du Tourmalet.
Winner: Pierrick Fedrigo of France made it three French victories in a row after winning a breakaway sprint among seven riders, including Lance Armstrong. Sandy Casar of France was second, Ruben Plaza of Spain third.
Yellow jersey: There was no change in the overall classification. Defending champion Alberto Contador of Spain leads Andy Schleck of Luxembourg by eight seconds.
How Lance Armstrong did: He was credited with sixth and the same time as Fedrigo. Armstrong is 25th in the overall standings, 33:46 behind Contador.
How Garmin-Transitions did: Ryder Hesjedal finished 19th, in the same group as Schleck and Contador. He’s 10th in the overall standings, 7:51 behind Contador. Garmin is 17th (out of 22) in the team standings.
Quote of the day: “I’m not the best guy in the race, but I still have the spirit of a fighter.” — Armstrong
Next stage: Today is a rest day. Thursday’s Stage 17 is the final one in the Pyrenees.
Denver Post staff and wire services
