Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong finished in the lead group in the Cape Argus cycle tour around the Cape Peninsula yesterday.
The US star made a break inside the last kilometer of the 109km race to create an opening for his Team RadioShack teammate Daryl Impey, a strong sprinter.
In an all-South African podium finish, Impey finished third behind Malcolm Lange and Christoff van Heerden.
PHOTO: REUTERS
With a strong head wind hampering the riders, the winning time was a relatively slow 2 hour, 39 minute and 55 seconds. Armstrong was placed ninth with all the leading riders credited with the same time.
Lange, who won the race for the third time, said Armstrong’s presence “added a lot of stature” to Africa’s biggest mass participation cycling event, which attracted an entry of 35,000.
Lange, however, said Armstrong underestimated the force of the wind at the finish.
“Lance tried to go with a kilometer to go, but I don’t think he realized how strong the wind blows down here in the Cape. I think their plan was to make me go early but I waited. With about 150m to go I knew I had it,” he said.
Lange’s Medscheme team organized a breakaway just over 30km from the finish as the cyclists entered the climb around the scenic Chapman’s Peak drive. Armstrong and Impey stayed with the lead bunch of 12 riders through to the finish.
Armstrong’s participation ended a week in Cape Town organized primarily to raise funds for a foundation which encourages sport for underprivileged children.
He said before the race that he wanted to “ride with intent,” but to “stay out of trouble” in an event in which Impey was his only teammate.
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