Armstrong wins in California

Eurosport - Mon, 22 Jun 10:37:00 2009

Lance Armstrong won the Nevada City Classic, a modest one-day race set in the hills of northern California, to continue his build-up to the Tour de France.

CYCLING Lance Armstrong Astana Giro de Italia 2009 - 0

More than 15,000 fans turned out for the race, run on a 1.7km loop in the historic gold mining town of Nevada City, and were treated to the sight of seven-time Tour de France champion Armstrong claiming his first race victory since coming out of retirement in January after an absence of three and a half years.

Armstrong, Astana team-mate Levi Leipheimer and Bissell's Ben Jacques-Maynes formed a three-man breakway that took a lead of more than two minutes and finally lapped the field.

With six laps to go on the tough, seven-turn course Armstrong was on his own, and the American, wearing the jersey of his Livestrong foundation rather than Astana colours, crossed the line with his hands raised in triumph. Jacques-Maynes finished second and Leipheimer third.

Armstrong only committed to the Nevada City Classic five days prior to the race.

Armstrong, 37, launched his comeback in the Tour Down Under in Australia in January, finishing 29th.

He broke his collarbone in a spill in the Tour of Castilla and Leon in central Spain in March, returned to the States for surgery and then went back to Europe and finished 12th in the Giro d'Italia last month.

On June 5 he welcomed the birth of his fourth child, son Max.

"What a great Nevada City Classic," Armstrong enthused on the social networking site Twitter. "I managed to get the win, Levi Leipheimer was 3rd. HARD race. The crowds? Electric..."

Armstrong's next race is the Tour de France, which starts July 4 in Monaco.

AFP

Comment 4 - 23 of 23

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  1. Oh, you're right! Better take Eddy of that­ pedestal.LOL!

    3 World Championships and the One Hour­ Record, plus:

    Most career victories by a professional­ cyclist: 525.
    Most victories in one season: 54 (45% of­ the races he entered!).
    Most stage victories in the­ Tour de France: 34.
    Most stage victories in one Tour­ de France: 8, in 1970 and 1974 (shared with Charles­ Pélissier in 1930 and Freddy Maertens in 1976).
    Most­ days with the yellow jersey in the Tour de France: 96.­
    The only cyclist to have won the yellow, green and red­ polka-dotted jersey in the same Tour de France (1969).­
    Most victories in classics: 28.
    Most victories of a­ single classic: 7 (in Milan-Sanremo).

    I guess Merckx­ WAS a specialist: he specialized in WINNING.

    From sptobj, on Fri 26 Jun 6:35PM

  2. That's all well and good having all these­ Monuments, Classics and Grant Tours on the Palmares,­ but did Merckx ever win the Nevada City Classic?!

    From pedro118118, on Thu 25 Jun 9:14AM

  3. I don't get it either. I've been following the­ sport for 40 years, though. A certain Belgian champion­ still ranks as the all time greatest rider. In this­ modern era of speciallists nobody will ever top Merckx,­ who won everything.

    From sptobj, on Tue 23 Jun 5:41PM

  4. I cant belive I had my comment blocked for saying Lance­ is riding for cancer awareness and not for personal­ glory this season. I mean his whole season is set up to­ deliver the message to people that dont know the­ dangers of cancer. Thats why he's been to­ Australia, Italy, Spain and his home country the US. Of­ course the big event will be in France where nobody has­ even heard of the cancer and they dont all have­ livestrong bands on their wrists.

    From Liam L, on Tue 23 Jun 5:07PM

  5. Fair point. As I've said, I have a high regard for­ Lance Armstrong as a past Tour rider, cancer campaignor­ and cycling icon. Doesn't make him beyond­ reproach, though, and seems to me that any individual­ whe utters the slightest criticism or doesn't­ display unquestionable blind loyalty to the 'great­ one' is somehow unhinged. I don't get it.

    From pedro118118, on Tue 23 Jun 3:42PM

  6. pedro118118: The "Anti-Lancemania" is just as­ rampant; we would be better off without­ either.

    Armstrong broke his collarbone two months ago,­ and is riding at a world-class level, AFTER a long­ retirement. He at least deserves respect, but someone­ always has to voice their Anti-Lance grumblings. Give­ it a rest.

    From sptobj, on Tue 23 Jun 2:26PM

  7. I resent the accusation that I'm somehow bitter or­ spiteful because I have the temerity to question the­ whole concept of Lancemania. I agree, he was great Tour­ rider and lifted the profile of the Tour to a whole new­ level outside of Europe. That said, some people need­ to get some perspective rather than simply spouting­ such blinkered rhetoric. If Lance wins the Tour,­ I'll be as happy as anyone else - I just want to­ see a great race.

    From pedro118118, on Tue 23 Jun 2:03PM

  8. sptobj well said mate, i hope he surprises some people­ in july but i fear it cant have been enough time back­ in competition to challenge for the top spot but i­ tryly hope he can.. vive le lance

    From ralph, on Tue 23 Jun 1:30PM

  9. You "cycling fans" who laugh at the Nevada­ City race better do some reading.

    It is a very tough,­ long-running, and important race. Greg LeMond learned­ to race there, and trained in the mountains just to the­ east of Nevada City.

    From sptobj, on Tue 23 Jun 11:40AM

  10. Why do people love to knock riders who have been just­ plain succesful ?
    Anyone would think that it was a­ crime to win the Tour 7 times and I for one would be­ happy if he made it 8.
    Cyclecrank co uk

    From cyclecrank70, on Mon 22 Jun 9:48PM

  11. pedro--,jonb--calmac--liamL and HC what a bitter­ spitful bunch. Why do you even bother to weigh in with­ such bitterness. We will see in July.

    From sylvia, on Mon 22 Jun 8:21PM

  12. Lance got a three hearts, he is the greatest, and i­ respect him

    From Bobcha, on Mon 22 Jun 8:20PM

  13. The L.A. pr machine keeps on rolling!!
    What next for­ the TDF? team win for Astana?
    Yellow jersey and Polka­ dot for team Astana?

    From puma746, on Mon 22 Jun 8:17PM

  14. What is a real shame is that from the comments posted­ here it seems to me that the cycling public is just all­ 'Lanced out'. I'm not surprised,­ there's a lot to be said about the guy, but can we­ get away from the media led hype and concentrate on the­ VERY big world of cycling.

    From Andy, on Mon 22 Jun 6:17PM
  15. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    Boy he really knows how to handle those big races -­ Dorkass

    From H C, on Mon 22 Jun 3:33PM

  16. it was a great results for cancellara although I have­ to say that this year tour de suisse must have been the­ flattest one in history. Usually there are 3-4 serious­ mountain stages that make the tour mountains look like­ hills but this year they were missing. Fabian is a­ great cyclist but he is not tour GC material.

    From alexmn85, on Mon 22 Jun 2:27PM

  17. Jonas s... ur comment made me laugh alot... it's­ true, besides he raced the Giro in May so already has a­ "big tour" in his legs.. the last thing LA­ wants is to overcook it with too much hard racing­ especially after a healing broken collarbone, 3 years­ of pro cycling inactivity and at the ripe old age of­ 37.

    HAVE TO SAY BIG PROPS TO FABIAN CANCELLARA.. what­ an athlete.. I think if he puts his mind to it he has­ the talent to win a Big Tour in the future.. what a­ guy.. in todays modern cycling who wins Paris Roubaix,­ Milan San Remo, 4th biggest Tour, multiple time trials­ and stages in races with attacks in the last 1-2km..­ hats off to King Fab

    From Shiek, on Mon 22 Jun 1:25PM
  18. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    I'm sure it was all about cancer awareness. I guess­ people in Nevada dont know about cancer so he thought­ it was best to take his livestrong message there.­ Remeber this season isn't about racing for Lance­ its about the fight against cancer

    From Liam L, on Mon 22 Jun 1:24PM

  19. How about ya´ll just chill down a little with the­ analysis... maybe he just competed in that race for the­ fun of it? Jesus....

    From jonas s, on Mon 22 Jun 12:28PM

  20. I think LA chose not to ride the DL in order to be back­ in the US for the birth of his latest child? In any­ event, he would've done just enough at the DL (as­ per his tried and tested MO), as the only time he­ really put the effort in (against Iban Mayo) he was­ below par for the TdF. For me, modern cycling has­ become far too specialised, with riders focussing on­ just one or two key objectives a season - the rest of­ the time is just training.

    From pedro118118, on Mon 22 Jun 11:38AM
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