Tour de France
Armstrong not certain for Tour next year

By Bonnie DeSimone
Chicago Tribune

PETER DEJONG / AP Juan Miguel Mercado of Spain, left, reacts as he crosses the finish line ahead of countryman Vicente Garcia Acosta to win the 18th stage.

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LONS-LE-SAUNIER, France — Anyone craving a lull in the action at the 2004 Tour de France was in for disappointment yesterday.

Lance Armstrong did not win Stage 18, ending his streak at three, but he caused a stir both on and off the road.

Although the International Herald Tribune reported yesterday that the soon-to-be-six-time champion told Tour officials he would not be back next year, the Texan said he is leaving his options open.

"I'm not saying I would never do it again," said Armstrong, whose overall lead remained unchanged at 4 minutes, 9 seconds. "Absolutely I'll do it again before I stop."

Armstrong said he would not make a decision until later this year and would consult with Tour officials and with his team's new title sponsor, Discovery Communications. The company takes over from the U.S. Postal Service next year.

"We have a new sponsor and the Tour is the biggest race in the world, and I have to discuss it with them," Armstrong said. "If they were to give me the green light on (skipping the Tour) I might do it. But if they say, 'Lance, we want you to do the Tour,' I understand that too."

Armstrong has long been criticized for concentrating almost solely on the Tour de France, neglecting classic races that form an important part of cycling tradition. He is now considering some classics and wants to go for the hour record, where cyclists try to ride as far as possible in one hour on a circuit.

Discovery officials did not respond to a request for comment. Postal team director Johan Bruyneel told The Associated Press he thought Armstrong would find it "hard to motivate himself without the Tour de France."

"It's too hard to say, to ask on the third to last day, everybody is so tired you never want to come back," Armstrong said. "But you get into December, and there's only one thing I can think about; that's the Tour."

Armstrong didn't look terribly tired yesterday, as he bolted from the peloton to chase down Filippo Simeoni, who went out alone at about the 20-mile mark to pursue a breakaway.

The sight of the yellow jersey chasing in a stage that was not expected to be contested by any overall contenders was odd, but the move had more personal than competitive energy behind it.

Simeoni testified against Dr. Michele Ferrari, Armstrong's consultant, in his trial in Italy. Ferrari is accused of providing banned substances to cyclists in a case that has dragged on for three years.

Armstrong has said he uses Ferrari as a consultant for altitude training, diet and other specialized training. He has defended Ferrari publicly as an honest man and lashed out at Simeoni in comments that prompted Simeoni to sue him for defamation.

"I was protecting the interests of the peloton (main pack)," Armstrong said. "He is not a rider the peloton wants to be up front because all he does is attack the peloton and say bad things about the other riders and the group in general. When I finally came back I had a lot of riders pat me on the back saying, 'Thank you.' "

Simeoni shot back, calling what Armstrong did "a sin."

"I was surprised, but he showed today in front of the world what kind of person he is," the Domina Vacanze rider said. "I was the victim of a big injustice today."

Simeoni said he decided to retreat back into the peloton "out of respect for my colleagues," ending the chase attempt. Juan Miguel Mercado of Spain won the stage.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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