Tour De France Has Armstrong Battling Himself

By LINDA ROBERTSON

lrobertson@MiamiHerald.com

The only thing bigger than the Alps in the Tour de France is Lance Armstrong's ego.

Whether he can channel his ambition to his advantage or whether it will prove to be his undoing -- and his team's -- will be the most fascinating psychological drama of the race.

There is the tactical maneuvering on the road, which we can see, and the tactical maneuvering in Armstrong's head, which we can only ponder.

Alberto Contador, the favorite, must not lose the mind games, or he will lose the Tour as well.

Friday's Stage 13 should provide a hint of what's to come as the riders negotiate five climbs on the 124-mile route through the Vosges from Vittel to Colmar. After several days of status quo, Rinaldo Nocentini retained the yellow jersey, with Contador six seconds behind and Armstong two seconds behind Contador.

Armstrong, the seven-time Tour winner making a comeback at age 37, is used to being the boss, the chosen one, the team leader who is chaperoned through the 2,100 miles and three weeks of 5,000-foot ascents, spine-tingling descents, attacks, breakaways and pileups.

But this year he is in an unusual, awkward position. He is supposed to do what his teammates did for him: Sacrifice himself. Spaniard Contador, 26, is the presumed leader of the talented Astana team, but with a whisper of a lead over Armstrong and with two other teammates in contention, the pecking order remains open.

It could be sorted out when the riders rub shoulders in the Alps. Or it could come down to the penultimate day, July 25, on the famed and feared Mt. Ventoux, a nasty, 13-mile climb with a summit finish.

Armstrong never has been a humble sort. Not even cancer humbled him. In his prime, he intimidated opponents into submission. Remember the famous backward glare at Jan Ullrich? Armstrong has sued anyone who has accused him of doping. As a celebrity, he is just as cocky. Read his Twitter feeds, and you can tell that the world according to Lance revolves around Lance. But the best athletes aren't made with a you-first mentality.

TEAMMATES AND RIVALS

According to Armstrong's coach, Coral Gables native Chris Carmichael, Armstrong is more relaxed after three-and-a-half years of retirement. He wants to be a loyal teammate who helps Astana's strongest rider win.

We'll see.

''If it's Alberto's to win, Lance will give his support,'' Carmichael said. ``He's not a saboteur. He's not wired that way.''

After saying all the right things, Armstrong finally acknowledged: ``To be honest, there is a little tension.''

Contador should worry. His teammate also is his rival. He is looking out for his own interests, too. He launched an unexpected attack this week that left Armstrong flustered.

''Will Lance be on his side?'' TV commentator Phil Liggett said. ``Lance will never tell.''

Could we see a duel like that of 1985 or 1986, when teammates Bernard Hinault and Greg LeMond battled each other? It was ugly but interesting.

In 1985, Hinault, the last Frenchman to win the Tour, was going for his fifth title. After crashing early, he was not at his best. On the Luz-Ardiden climb, LeMond and Stephen Roche dropped Hinault. LeMond was capable of taking the lead but was forbidden by the team director. Back at the hotel, Hinault promised LeMond that he would help him win in 1986 if LeMond helped him win No. 5. LeMond gave up his own chance to support ''The Badger'' and finished second, 1:42 behind Hinault.

The next year, Hinault broke his pledge and raced ahead. But he cracked in the mountains as LeMond surged to the lead. On the Alpe d'Huez, they rode across the finish line hand in hand, but LeMond generously let Hinault edge across first for the symbolic stage win. LeMond won the Tour but felt betrayed.

A TEAM TORN APART

''It was a disaster that fractured the team,'' Carmichael said. ``At dinner, the French guys would sit at one table, and Greg and the other guys would sit at another.''

This race doesn't portend such malice because director Johan Bruyneel knows how to manage the personalities on Team Astana.

''Johan is the pivotal point,'' TV commentator and former rider Paul Sherwen said. ``I don't see Lance trying to steal victory.''

Only time -- and the mountains -- will tell.