Lance Armstrong has said he will not mind playing second fiddle to Astana team-mate Alberto Contador for the remainder of the Tour de France.
The American’s hopes of an eighth Tour victory all but disappeared on yesterday’s mountain stage, when Contador led a solo breakaway to pull out a lead of one minute 37 seconds, and will now put his personal ambitions aside to help the Spaniard keep hold of the yellow jersey until the end of the race on July 26.
The 37 year-old said: “I’m really happy, perfectly happy, to be a domestique. If someone like Contador shows that he’s the best, you have to accept it.”
“He demonstrated he’s the best at the Tour; that’s what these stages are for.”
Armstrong documented his struggles on stage 15 – the ascent to Verbier – on his Twitter feed yesterday evening.
He wrote: “Ouch! Verbier was as hard as I thought. Alberto - super and had great punch/power. A heartfelt congrats to him.”
The 26 year-old Contador’s comprehensive victory has thawed a fairly uneasy rivalry between the two men.
Contador said it would be “an honour” to have the support of his team-mate.
“I am the team leader, now,” he added. “He’s a great professional and will play an important role.”
Tuesday's 16th stage, another steep climb, will take the riders from Martigny in south-western Switzerland to Bourg Saint-Maurice in eastern France.
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