Although media speculation prior to the 2009 Tour de France, obsessively focused on the return of Lance Armstrong and his attempt to win another Tour at the age of 37, and if Lance could get around the conflict with Alberto Contador, his teammate and 2007 winner, but cold reality trumped fanciful pre-race narratives. The Spaniard, a decade younger and clearly stronger as the race progressed, steered clear of the press pool and stoically showed his superiority. Not to minimize the enormity of Armstrong’s impressive performance after a three year layoff, finishing third in the Tour de France would be any lesser rider’s idea of a spectacular achievement. Armstrong showed that he still has the right stuff. Just not quite as much as Contador has. But there was so much more drama and many more accomplishments in this terrific Tour! The Schleck brothers, Andy and Frank, kept Contador and Armstrong in a state of anxiety throughout the 22 stages. Andy earned a place on the podium finishing second
Frank was not far behind in earning fifth place. And the Brits shone as never before. Mark Cavendish powered his way into the sprinters’ Hall of Fame with six stunning stage wins (topping his four in ‘08), and Bradley Wiggins showed that pre-race speculation that this might be his year weren’t that far off. Finishing fourth, he modestly observed, “It’s no mean feat finishing behind the three guys on the podium. And I don’t mind admitting that they are much better bike riders than I am.” The 2009 Tour proved to be a three-week drama with one exciting stage after another. You can experience one of the best Tours ever in this thrilling WCP DVD! 780 minutes. Narrated by Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen.
