Chivalry Helps Armstrong Approach Fifth Win
July 26 -- Lance Armstrong now appears headed for his record-tying fifth straight victory in cycling's Tour de France, but on Monday he nearly lost his bid because of a spectator's purse.
"I saw it coming, it just clipped the handlebar and you know it, you're going down," Armstrong told reporters after his bike snagged on the purse and he tumbled to the street.
But Armstrong's rivals — including German rider Jan Ullrich — did not take advantage of his misfortune. They waited for Armstrong to recover.
"That was very nice. I figure that was payback for me waiting for him when he fell in the Pyrenees a few years ago. I appreciate it," Armstrong said.
They are fierce competitors, but maintain a code of chivalry. That's how it is in the Tour de France.
"They want to win because they were the very best, not because someone else crashed and they happened to be there to attack and take advantage of it," said Chris Carmichael, Armstrong's coach.
Grueling Three Weeks
Stopwatches measure speed. Statistics demonstrate endurance. But there are qualities of character that numbers can't measure.
It is a grueling contest through spectacular scenery in central and western France. And an American holds the lead. It's little wonder so many people are following the race.
For nearly three weeks, 150 riders have been on the road and they've ridden nearly 2,000 miles. But in the end the glory goes only to one of them.
This year, another American has also become a star. Tyler Hamilton used to ride with Armstrong's U.S. Postal Service team. Now Hamilton's the lead rider for the CSC team.
On the first full day of the race, Hamilton suffered a double fracture of his collarbone during a crash. But he carries on despite pain so severe that he'll need to have his teeth re-capped from grinding them so hard.
"It's a team sport, and I didn't want to let my team down," Hamilton said.
Armstrong is a cancer survivor. And now he is fighting his own age, 31.
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