Tour de France

The Blue Train derails all foes

Lance Armstrong's true strength likely lies in U.S. Postal teammates.

NIMES, France - Nickname: "The Blue Train." Mission: Laying the tracks that are transporting Lance Armstrong toward a record sixth Tour de France crown.

Though a great champion in his own right, the Texan would not be closing in on sporting history were it not for his loyal and tireless squad of support riders who have steamrolled rivals from the get-go.

Armstrong gets the laurels, sponsorships, worldwide fame. George Hincapie, Viatcheslav Ekimov and six others in Armstrong's blue-jerseyed U.S. Postal Service team get satisfaction in knowing the 32-year-old would not be where he is without them.

"The Blue Train is the muscle behind it, is the brawn," Armstrong said last week. "This is the best team ever."

Stage by grueling stage, first on the flats of Belgium and northern France, then in the peaks of the Pyrenees, Armstrong's Postals have hewn a path to the podium in Paris on Sunday.

If he keeps his form this week through the Alps and two time trials, Armstrong will overtake the four other five-time champions.

Nothing has been left to chance. No detail overlooked. No ounce of energy left unexpended in an almost military campaign.

Day 1, July 3, the opening time trial. Led by Armstrong, edged into second by Swiss rider Fabian Cancellara, the Postals place seven of their nine riders in the top 50, showing they mean business. The effort vaults them to the top of the team standings.

Day 4, top squads battle to lead the pack over a treacherous stretch of cobblestones. The Postals get there first, shepherding Armstrong safely across.

Day 5, because they lead the squad standings, the Postals enjoy the equivalent of pole position in the team time trial, setting out last. That allows them to see how others fare, and a storm dousing the course starts to clear as they ride. The Postals finish a whopping 1 minute, 7 seconds faster than the second-place squad.

On in-between days across northern and western France, the Postals herded the unruly pack, often leading from the front, shielding Armstrong from wind and crashes and ensuring he didn't lack snacks and drinks. Then, on Friday and Saturday, came the hammerlike blow in the Pyrenees - which the Postals scouted before the Tour, honing their bodies on the punishing climbs.

Saturday's 127.5-mile trek across seven climbs from Lannemezan to the Plateau de Beille was textbook Postal. They forced the pace, tiring rivals while harboring Armstrong's strength by keeping him in their slipstream. Casualties fell by the wayside: Haimar Zubeldia, fifth last year; Russian Denis Menchov, the best youngster of 2003; and Tyler Hamilton, fourth last year, abandoned.

Led by Hincapie, the Postals stormed into the steep, final 9.9-mile ascent. Behind, the trailing pack slowly disintegrated.

Jose Luis Rubiera, a powerful climber, took over when Hincapie was spent. Fewer than a dozen rivals continued to cling to Armstrong's group. And still the Postals had unused reserves. Portuguese mountain-tamer Jose Azevedo stepped in for Rubiera with another burst of uphill pace. First to go: Jan Ullrich, the 1997 Tour champion.

When Azevedo peeled off with 5 miles still to climb, only two riders had survived: Armstrong and Italian Ivan Basso. Armstrong beat Basso with a sprint finish.

"Armstrong hardly needs to do anything himself," Eusebio Unzue, sports director of the Illes Balears team, griped the next day. "The key is the huge form of his team. They won't crack."

Current and former teammates say Armstrong is a top motivator. But Hincapie, on his ninth Tour, has little doubt Armstrong would not be a five-time champ, going on six, without his Blue Train.

"Probably not," he said. "Because this is one of the best teams that's been around in a long time."

[Last modified July 19, 2004, 23:49:16]