In a tense team time trial the Astana team won the fourth stage but Lance Armstrong missed out on the yellow jersey by just 0.022 seconds.
Following the stage, Armstrong answered a few questions:
Is this a bittersweet victory because of missing yellow?“Yes and no. We did what we could. That’s cycling. We can look at each other and say that we did our best. The most important thing is that we won the stage and took time on the other rivals. I said it earlier to Alberto as well that it is so important that we take time to Evans, Sastre and the others. We were fairly successful. I wouldn’t like to be two minutes down right now.”
The race was perfect for you and the team?“We came last week to Montpellier to see the stage. Johan Bruyneel already had the order of riding in his head. We tried that order that day and we did the same today. Like usual, he was right. The result speaks for itself. You always feel that somebody is stronger than you. For me, if I analyse our performance, I would say that Klöden and Popovych were the strongest, but overall the team was consistent. We were smooth. We didn’t make any mistakes. No mis-turns, no crashes, no flat tires.”
After your return, did you expect to be so close now?“No. What happened yesterday, you couldn’t expect that neither. It’s nice to be close, to win a stage, to win an event we like so much. We will see now.
This is a confession: 12 months ago I expected it to be easier, so yes, I expected it. Six months ago I did not expect it any more. I realized that it was harder than I thought. I was just disrespectful to Carlos Sastre or Cadel Evans. This is not easy at all. Today I am realistic. I have both feet on the ground. It will not be like in 2001 or 2005. It will be harder. That’s as honest as I can say it.”
You came back after four years and you brought to the race in the last four days more spectacle than in the last four years…“I think there was excitement the last four years. A day like yesterday was just a surprise. There were questions about the tactics of yesterday. It was just luck. Tomorrow Evans can be in the front and we might not be.”
Do you consider yourself one of the favourites?“I am happy with where I am. I don’t know if I’m the best in the race. I came in this race thinking that I would be one of the best, based on the trainings and tests that I’ve done, based on the trainings with Levi Leipheimer.”
Now your team doesn’t have to defend the yellow jersey?“There will probably be less pressure, but this will not change the race for us. We wouldn’t have tried to control the race tomorrow anyhow. The Tour will not be decided in week one but in part two of week three.”
It was a team effort and Alberto Contador produced a good ride in the well drilled Astana team time trial.
How did you feel during the stage?“I felt like I was one of the strongest riders but the course was not so good for me personally. It’s a pity that there were not more climbs. It was especially in the climbs that I felt comfortable.”
After only four days, it looks good for the team?“For the moment things are very good in the overall, but it is necessary to keep concentration, because we have completed only four days, though it seems that we’ve passed a lot of days of the Tour. The coming days in the Pyrenees will be interesting. Our rivals will have to attack. We will have to be awake.”
