Armstrong Ready to Take Command

Lance is just getting warmed up:

Working like a well-oiled machine, Lance Armstrong and his U.S. Postal Service squad won their first ever team time trial at the Tour de France on Wednesday -- a major boost in his drive for five straight Tour titles.

The win set Armstrong up nicely up for punishing mountain stages that start Saturday in the Alps, giving him a cushion of time over key rivals.
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The race, run in hot, sunny weather over 69 kilometers (42.8 miles) and finishing in the town of Saint-Dizier, was a key target of the Postals in this first week of the grueling three-week Tour.

Wearing tear drop-shaped helmets and riding aerodynamic bikes to go faster, the Postals won in 1 hour, 18 minutes and 27 seconds. It was their first win on this Tour, where Armstrong is aiming to equal Spanish great Miguel Indurain's record of five successive wins.

Yikes, that's something like 33 miles per hour. Well, I'm never going to achieve that where I live--I'll look to the Tour mountain stages, which are of course more gruelling than my rides, for some inspiration. Speaking of which, I really should ride today, but Stef and I also need to head into town to do a bunch of errands--I also should take her out on a date so she doesn't feel like a blog widow.

ntodd