Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 25, 1995 TAG: 9506260099
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: D-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: PARIS LENGTH: Medium
Miguel Indurain has a shot at greatness. Tony Rominger has a shot at belated recognition. Lance Armstrong finally has a shot at Paris.
This year's edition of the Tour de France, which starts July 1, promises to be one of the most exciting in years, with Spain's Indurain seeking to join cycling greats Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault as five-time winners.
Indurain crushed the opposition the past four years with ever bigger margins, but Rominger is in peak form to make the most of perhaps his last chance to wear the leader's yellow jersey into Paris on July 23.
``I know very well that I will suffer in the Tour this year,'' said Indurain, reviewing the challengers.
Armstrong, starting his third trek through France, has yet to cross the finish line on the Champs Elysees, but is bent on completing all 20 stages this year.
At 23, he has reached cycling maturity. ``A young body cannot really handle a three-week race,'' he said. He already has proven his stamina, winning the Tour DuPont, the most prestigious cycling race in the United States.
The Tour starts in Saint-Brieuc on Brittany's rugged coast, then makes a huge clockwise loop, venturing into Belgium, sweeping through the Alps and Pyrenees before ending up in the capital, 2,197 miles later.
Brittany is the rugged country of Hinault, who won five Tours from 1978 to 1985. No one has equaled that feat since.
This year, Indurain might go Hinault one better, becoming the first racer to win five in a row.
``He will be tough to beat,'' said Merckx, who won five from 1969 to 1974.
Unlike the eight seconds that gave Greg LeMond the title over Laurent Fignon in 1989, Indurain always has won by minutes. His margin of victory steadily increased to more than five minutes last year, an eternity in Tour terms.
Usually his power during time trials made the outcome a foregone conclusion before the pack moved into the mountains. This year may be different.
Rominger, a 34-year-old from Switzerland, is hitting peak form and gained a psychological time-trial edge on the Spaniard when he robbed the champion of the one-hour world record in devastating style in November.
On top of that, Mapei-GB is Rominger's strongest team ever. It will be a vital factor July 4 during the 39.5-mile team trial, the first test to separate the challengers from the pack.
``If, unlike other years, I can stay in touch during the time trials, it is tough to see where Indurain will gain an edge,'' Rominger said.
On top of that, Rominger never has been hungrier. He easily won the Giro tour of Italy in May, and said ``what inspires me is that, at my age, I won't get too many more chances.''
Banesto rider Indurain, 31, also had a seamless early season.
Two one-week races in southern France, covering some of the key Tour mountains, went smoothly, giving him the Midi Libre and Dauphine titles. ``There is continuous progress,'' he said.
Another challenger who has been making steady progress is Yevgeny Berzin, a Russian who is a threat in the mountains. One of his toughest rivals has proved to be Latvia's Piotr Ugromov, who finished second to Indurain last year.
This year, the teammates have been going at one another instead of other squads, a tactical nightmare for the Italian Gewiss Balan team.
France has not had a Tour champion since Hinault won his last title a decade ago. Most hopes center on Laurent Jalabert, who has made the difficult transition from sprinter to all-around rider this season, even going up the mountains with the best. Last year he was stopped short when he suffered a horrific crash in a sprint finish.
Armstrong's ambitions are not nearly as lofty as some of the other riders, centering more on a stage victory and a decent placing in the final standings. He has his thoughts on the future.
``Indurain and Rominger are past 30,'' he said. ``A new generation of challengers is waiting.''
Armstrong wants to wear the yellow jersey as the leader of that pack.
by CNB