Impressive time-trial win boosted Lance's chances

The Tour de France began with a time trial, what the cyclists call "the race of truth."

We had driven up from Metz, a city very few Americans have ever heard of. Yet, when you enter it at night and behold the spotlighted church steeple that seems 300 feet high, then the medieval bridges and castles, and finally the sparkling river, it is a place hard to forget.

Certainly, Lance Armstrong and the U.S. Postal Team that we chanced upon in the corner of a parking lot, Saturday morning in Luxembourg, will never forget it.
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McEwen scores win in Reims; Zabel in yellow
Durand comes up a few km short

You can always count on Jacky Durand. The 35-year-old bulldog of a racer just keeps on trying.

And try he did, with one of his epic trademark attacks early in Tuesday's 174.5-km stage from Metz to Reims. It didn't work. It rarely does, but it was a good show for the French fans as the 2002 Tour de France came home after three hot and humid days in Luxembourg and Germany.

Durand attacked just 6km into the stage and got reeled in with 6km to go. He didn't win the stage - his last Tour stage-win came in 1998 - but he did earn the day's Coeur de Lion prize for most combative rider.
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OVERALL AFTER THREE STAGES

1. Erik Zabel (G), Telekom, 13hr 31min 35sec.
2. Robbie McEwen (Aus), Lotto-Adecco, at 00:08.
3. Rubens Bertogliati (Swi), Lampre-Daikin, 00:14.
4. Laurent Jalabert (F), CSC-Tiscali, 00:17.
5. Lance Armstrong (USA), U.S. Postal , 00:17.
6. Raimondas Rumsas (Lit), Lampre-Daikin, 00:20.
7. Santiago Botero (Col), Kelme-Costa Blanca, 00:21.
8. David Millar (GB), Cofidis, 00:22.
9. Laurent Brochard (F), Jean Delatour, 00:23.
10. Oscar Freire (Sp), Mapei, 00:25.

thanks to VeloNews

There are those that may wonder why Lance keeps falling behind. Well, there are, generally speaking, two types of riders — sprinters and climbers. You see the same thing in runners. The 100 meter dash types are quite different from the marathon runners. Same thing in cycling. Lance is a marathon runner, sort of.

One of the things they don't have in running, is teams. Drafting is very important, especially on the flat stages. At the speeds they are traveling, most of the rider's energy is spent overcoming wind resistance, not rolling resistance. The guy in front is working hardest but he only stays there for a short time and lets others take the lead. When he falls back in the peleton, he can "rest". Doesn't seem like resting, given the speeds they are traveling, but it is. So the sprinter types can hang on in the peleton and then give that short burst of speed at the finish that they are so good at. It does make for some spectacular finishes. But it doesn't win stage races like the Tour de France.

There are 21 teams, each with 9 riders. The teams each have a captain — Lance is the captain for the U.S. Postal team. The team is there to do the work for, and protect, the captain until the point in the race when it is up to the captain, and only the captain, to do what he does so well — win overall. There are two places where a rider must do well to win the tour — the time trials and the mountains. That's when it comes down to the individual's heart and legs. The first time trial is stage 9, the first mountains are at stage 11.

In a couple of hours there will be an interesting event — the team time trial. This will test the fitness of the entire team. Each team leaves at 5 minute intervals and rides alone. They are allowed to drop some team members, I forget how many, but there is a minimum they have to finish with and the team's time is determined by the slowest rider. U.S. Postal is a favorite but hasn't done that well in the past. This year could be different. Look for Lance to gain time here.