Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 7, 1995 TAG: 9505080102
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: E1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. LENGTH: Medium
Davidenko, 25, who rides for the Italian Navigare-Bluestorm team, pulled away from Norman Alvis (Saturn) of Sacramento, Calif., with about 300 yards left and won the flat, 110-mile North Wilkesboro, N.C., to Winston-Salem 10th stage road race in 4 hours, 17 minutes, 38 seconds.
Alvis was second in 4:17:41, with Miguel Angel Pena (Mapei-GB) of Spain third in 4:17:50.
Armstrong, who has held the race lead for a week and has three stage wins, finished 18th. He rode conservatively with four of his Motorola teammates constantly around him.
Barring a catastrophe, Armstrong, 23, of Austin, Texas, will claim the overall title today when the field rides a 30-mile individual time trial from Burlington, N.C., to Greensboro, N.C.
``I could have three flats and still win,'' said Armstrong, who would have to ride eight seconds per mile slower than defending champion Viatcheslav Ekimov to lose.
Armstrong is so confident, he's offered a specially made aerodynamic bicycle to Italian teammate Andrea Peron.
Peron, 23, who finished third last year, is second overall, 3:55 behind. Ekimov (Novell) of Russia, a time trial specialist, trails by 4:05.
``Everyone knows I can't time trial,'' Armstrong said jokingly prior to the start of the Tour DuPont. ``That's why they call it `the race of truth.'''
While his solo riding abilities in the point-to-point discipline have been questioned in the past, Armstrong spent part of the off-season improving his bike position and other aerodynamic components of his style.
Before the Tour DuPont, Armstrong trained for five days in Virginia on the Roanoke Valley time-trial course, which he won easily. He enters the final stage as the favorite.
by CNB