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Armstrong 'little bit behind' training for Tour

Every year they write stories about Lance and then he wins ... this year it'll be no different.

SI.com - More Sports - Armstrong 'little bit behind' training for Tour - Tuesday March 15, 2005 3:28PM

"PARIS (AP) -- Lance Armstrong acknowledged Tuesday he is behind schedule in his preparation for a seventh straight Tour de France title and he may have made a mistake by competing in the recent weather-affected Paris-Nice cycle race.

Armstrong, in Paris to collect a Sports Academy Trophy at the foreign ministry in recognition of his sixth straight Tour win last summer, said he hopes to recover his form in time for July's Tour.

'I'm going to try and get in shape. I have to admit I'm a little bit behind, more than I would normally be,' Armstrong said. 'I picked Paris-Nice for a lot of reasons that were decided before. Perhaps I shouldn't have started with a race like Paris-Nice."

"It was a very hard, fast, intense race with bad weather."

Some stages at the Paris-Nice were shortened severely due to heavy snowfall, meaning Armstrong -- who eventually pulled out with a sore throat -- had little chance to accumulate distance on his bike, a crucial part of his preparation.

"The body quickly wore down and got worse. Then I got sick. Next thing you know I go home," Armstrong said. "When you consider race conditions, the thing you can't emulate in training is the speed. When you shorten the stages by two-thirds the speed goes up and the time goes down. I was not ready for that."

However, nothing will stop him from trying to win his seventh Tour "other than injury or illness or some other external problem."

"I don't know that I'll win but I'll be on the start line," he said.

Upon receiving the Trophee de L'Academie des Sports, awarded to the athlete with the best achievement the previous year, Armstrong said he was humbled.

"I have to say it is an honor to be here," Armstrong said. "I don't normally get too choked up about things like this normally but this is special. Winning six Tours is something beyond my comprehension."

The American, wearing a sharp Ralph Lauren suit and accompanied by rock star girlfriend Sheryl Crow, also commented on the 2012 Olympic bid, reaffirming his love for New York -- and also his fondness for Paris.

"As an American my heart has to be with New York City, and I have to support the bid for New York City," he said. "But you also have to be fair and say Paris has a good bid. Are they deserving cities for the Olympic Games? Absolutely. They're great cities, legendary cities, historical cities.

"Perhaps I wasn't strong enough when I said my vote was for New York City. Since it wasn't strong enough they said 'He's a traitor. He's a weasel."'

Armstrong said he was upset by the media outcry and took a swipe at some of the publications that rose against him.

"It's the first time I've ever been called un-American. So, I tried to resolve it. I spoke to the city (New York), to the (New York 2012) organizing committee," Armstrong said. "I sent messages to the mayor. It was amazing how a one-minute interview became worldwide news.

"Some of the tabloid papers, they let it rip. They took the gloves off. But c'est la vie, as they say."

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