Armstrong eyes 2010 Tour win

Alberto Contador lived up to his tag as favourite with victory in Le Tour de France, but all eyes were on the man standing two steps below him on the podium.

Lance Armstrong might have only finished third on his return to the race for the first time since 2005 but, at 37, it was a remarkable achievement and the Texan whetted everyone's appetite by targeting victory in next year's Tour.

His ambition is far from unrealistic as he will have an entire year to prepare and, unlike Astana, a team to fully back his cause. The only problem is that he will be lining up against Contador, who remains the leading rider of the big Tours.

The other major rival could be Bradley Wiggins, who finished fourth to equal the best-ever performance by a Brit. And then there's the small matter of Mark Cavendish, who will be hoping to at least match his remarkable six Tour stage wins.

What did you make of Contador's Tour win and can Armstrong bounce back to win the race next year? And what about the Brits on Tour - did both Wiggins and Cavendish exceed expectations?

Armstrong's Tour victory hopes dashed

Lance Armstrong's bid to win an eighth Tour de France is over after team-mate Alberto Contador stormed into the race lead to Verbier on Sunday afternoon.

Armstrong, a seven-time winner of cycling's most prestigious event, had said prior to the race that he would happily play second fiddle to Astana team-mate Contador if he proved to be the stronger of the pair in the mountains and that is most definitely the case.

Armstrong was no match for the Spaniard on the mountain-top finish losing one-and-a-half minutes on Contador in just 5.7 kilometres. Armstrong 2009 is clearly not the Armstrong of 1999-2005, the Texan looking completely spent as his team-mate sprung clear.

However, he should still be applauded for his efforts. At the age of 37 and after three-and-a-half years out of the sport, he still lies second in Le Tour, the sort of performance that is not that far removed from Tom Watson's Open achievements of the last four days.

Whether Armstrong can stay up in second place remains to be seen but the old man of the cycling world, who has pledged to return to the Tour next season, should be applauded for his brave efforts.

What do you make of Armstrong's Tour efforts and, despite his promise to back Contador, do you think he can still beat the Spaniard or is Contador now unbeatable? Post your comments below...

Can it be the Tour de Lance?

Can Lance Armstrong really win the Tour de France at the age of 37 and after three years out? Surely not.

But Armstrong certainly got his race rivals quivering during Tuesday's team time trial when he inspired his Astana team to victory and only just missed out by a fraction of a second on his first Tour yellow jersey since winning the race in 2005.

Afterwards, the Texan was all smiles and talked about his belief that he could finally win the race. Should he manage it - and it's not beyond the realms of possibility - then it would be arguably the finest Hollywood ending (and there have been a few) that he has ever pulled off.

But it is just too fanciful. Sure, Armstrong looks in fine shape and impressed en route to 12th place in the Giro d'Italia but he's not as young as he used to be and it's all well and good talking up his chances before the Pyrenees and the Alps have even cropped up.

Then there is the Alberto Contador factor. The Spaniard is the finest grands tour cyclist out there right now and he is just too good for anyone to beat, maybe even Armstrong at his prime.

It might be that Armstrong proves us all wrong - after all he's done it time and time again - but it's one Hollywood ending too far.

Can Lance Armstrong win an eighth Tour de France or not? And if not, who's your pick to win cycling's blue-riband event? Post your comments below...