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.
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.
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Comment 1 - 3 of 23
Lets see Fabian won the Tour of Switzerland(a TDF warm up race like the Dauphine) and Lance won a race that nobodys ever heard of. As much as I like LA why did he choose the Nevada City Classic as opposed to his usual road the Dauphine.
As for the TDF I'd put my money on a Saxo Bank rider. Andy may just be marked out the game as he's now a favourite but Frank did ride very strongly last year. Astana have famous but unproven names with the exception of Contador but one man cannot just turn up no matter what form and win.
Wow, the Nevada City Classic! If he can win that then the TdF should be a walk in the park!
Not really sure how much we can glean from this performance given such a (comparatively) week/inexperienced field. With Chris Horner & Levi Leipheimer riding in support, surely it would've been a big shock had he NOT won. Fair play, a victory is a victory, but there is a huge gulf between the Nevada City Classic and the Tour de France and I do feel a little bit sorry for the riders who regularly compete on the US circuit, who had their race gatecrashed by a team of ProTour riders, and not just any old ProTour riders at that!
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