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Deccan Herald » Sports » Detailed Story
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CYCLING / American ace’s last Tour
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Armstrong to quit this year
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Augusta, reuters:
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The American top rider will seek success in his last appearance in Tour de France this year.
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The pressure on Lance Armstrong this summer should be immense.
Discovery Channel decided to sponsor Armstrong because it wanted a chance to win a Tour de France.
Millions of Americans who have pulled for him since his bout with cancer in 1998 will urge him to win his final Tour in July.
But the pressure from outside will be nothing compared to Armstrong's self-imposed passion to end his career on top.
''It is a dream of mine,'' he told a news conference. Armstrong, 33, said on Monday that when he steps off his bike on July 24 in Paris, it will be his last race.
He has won the Tour de France six straight times and gave the impression he will be devastated if he does not add to his haul.
''I don't want to lose number seven,'' Armstrong said. ''It's great to win; it's even tougher to lose.''
Armstrong announced his decision to retire as he prepares for the six-day, 648-mile Tour de Georgia, which will be his last professional race in the United States.
Armstrong said the decision to quit was to do with being away from his children and not because he had lost any of his competitiveness. He watched a race recently on television with his partner Sheryl Crow, the singer, and never sat down during the entire race.
''She said, 'Look at you. You can't even sit down, how are you going to retire?' he told reporters.
''Ultimately athletes have to retire,'' Armstrong added. ''The body just doesn't keep going and going and going. My time has come.''
There is little question the rise in popularity of cycling in the United States is tied to Armstrong.
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Wednesday, April 20, 2005
