Lance Armstrong kicked off the Tour de Gruene 's 25th anniversary celebration in Gruene, Texas with...
Armstrong with a confident smile (Image credit: Mike Gladu)
Lance Armstrong kicked off the Tour de Gruene's 25th anniversary celebration in Gruene, Texas with a dominating victory in the newly expanded two-day event's opening individual time trial on Saturday.
Armstrong, 37, finished with a race-best 33:14 for the 16-mile circuit, almost two minutes faster than his nearest competitor, Erick Benz, but he was still critical of his performance. "Overall I would say I was moderately pleased," Armstrong told the San Antonio Express. "I wasn't ecstatic."
"I wasn't really sure what to expect," Armstrong said. "Oh man, the crowds were super. It's hard suffering through the race but when you have people there being supportive, it makes the suffering a little more bearable."
Armstrong is no stranger to the Tour de Gruene having participated on two prior occasions under more trying circumstances: once in 1996 following his cancer diagnosis, partnered with the legendary Eddy Merckx and again in 1997, Armstrong's first ride after his cancer recovery, partnered with Cofidis teammate Kevin Livingston.
The previous 24 editions of the Tour de Gruene consisted solely of a two-man team time trial but this year's event increased to two days with an opening individual time trial. Armstrong will be partnered with long-time Texas friend John Korioth in the Sunday's 27.3 mile team time trial.
When asked about his plans for competing in the 2009 Tour de France, the seven-time Tour champion remained undecided. "I don't think it's a green light or a red light," said Armstrong. "There's no deadline [for a decision]. We're going to look at the season and [look at] two things: first, my international cancer plan and second, my season and preparation."
Cyclingnews' recent coverage of Lance Armstrong's comeback
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Laura Weislo has been with Cyclingnews since 2006 after making a switch from a career in science. As Managing Editor, she coordinates coverage for North American events and global news. As former elite-level road racer who dabbled in cyclo-cross and track, Laura has a passion for all three disciplines. When not working she likes to go camping and explore lesser traveled roads, paths and gravel tracks. Laura specialises in covering doping, anti-doping, UCI governance and performing data analysis.
