Landis captures first Tour de France crown; succeeds Lance Armstrong
American Floyd Landis captured his first Tour de France title in Paris Sunday, ably succeeding seven-time winner Lance Armstrong.
The 30-year-old Pennsylvanian cruised to victory on the Champs-Elysees, one day after recapturing the yellow jersey from Spain’s Oscar Pereiro. Landis stayed out of danger during the final kilometers while being escorted by teammates.
Floyd Landis was behind by more than eight minutes on Wednesday during the three-day grueling Alps segment. In Friday’s event, he came within 30 seconds of Pereiro and moved up into third place. With a third-place finish in Saturday’s time trial, Landis went ahead of Pereiro by 59 seconds with Sunday’s final stage remaining.
Landis had not finished higher than ninth in his previous four Tour appearances. He, Lance Armstrong and Greg LeMond are the only Americans to win the event. Armstrong won a record seven straight Tour de France titles from 1999 to 2005. LeMond won the Tour 1986, 1989 and 1990.
Norway’s Thor Hushovd had the honour of winning the last stage on the Champs Elysees, outsprinting Australian Robbie McEwen at the finish. McEwen had the last laugh, taking out the sprinter’s green jersey for the third time, having also won in 2002 and 2004.
Landis, who plans to undergo surgery this fall on an arthritic right hip injured in a 2003 crash, said he hoped he would be able to return next year. Oscar Pereiro of Spain finished second overall at 57 seconds back, and Germany’s Andreas Kloeden was third, 1:29 behind Landis.
With Armstrong retired, the Tour was blown even more wide open on the eve of the July 1 start when prerace favorites Ivan Basso and Jan Ullrich, plus seven other riders, were sent home after they were implicated in a Spanish doping investigation.
Denmark’s Mickael Rasmussen was crowned king of the mountains for the second year in a row.
