Tour de France 2010: Lance Armstrong’s Last Stand And The Top 5 Contenders

The 2010 Tour de France, which starts on Saturday with a prologue stage in Rotterdam, will be Lance Armstrong’s last one. He said on his twitter page:

“And yes, this will be [my] final Tour de France. It’s been a great ride. Looking forward to 3 great weeks.”

The main reason for his departure from the tour that made who he is today is due to his ever-growing family. He does not want to miss out on spending time with his kids and be there while they are growing up. Armstrong does not want to be like his father, who was never there for him.

So, who are the top contenders? Ivan Basso, who recently won the 2010 Giro d’ Italia race in Italy will lead the Liquigas team in the tour. Cadel Evans, who is on the new BMC team, will also be in contention. Andy Schleck, who finished 2^nd in the Tour de France last year, will hope that this is the year that he’ll take down the favorite Alberto Contador.

However, the top 2 contenders that most people will keep an eye on will be Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador. We feel it won’t be Lance Armstrong vs Alberto Contador race. It will be Team RadioShack vs Contador. With great cyclists such as Andrea Kloden, Levi Leipheimer and Janez Brajkovic on the team, on paper, Team RadioShack is the strongest team in the tour. If there is any weakness in Contador’s bid to win another Tour de France, it may be his team.

img: anthonycramp