Lance Amrstrong Switches Loyalties as Major Upset for Defending Tour-De-France Champion Goes Down in History

Former pro-cyclist Lance Armstrong missed the bet on the Slovenian pro-cyclist for the victory in the Grand Tour. As the first American to win the championship in 1986, “LeMonster” raised the banner for the globalization of the sport. Armstrong was one of the best riders that America produced after that. Aspiring young riders globally, the American cyclists emerged as the role model in the late 90s and early 2000s. Armstrong notably dominated the Tour-de-France with a record seven straight victories.

Now, as this year’s Grand Tour de France got its winner, Armstrong drew attention with his prediction of the 2023 Tour winner’s name, was it a correct guess?

Cycling star points at the winner, here’s how it turned out

The three-week cycling championship to eye the stage title came to an end, with Denmark pro Jonas Vingegaard winning stage 16 by 1.63 min. He shared proximity with his Slovenian rival Tadej Pogacar who won the 2020 and 2021 Tour titles. While keeping a close note of the earlier stage performance, Armstrong revealed his guess about Pogacar’s winning in his latest podcast.

However, he stated, “Nobody saw it coming” further adding that he likes being wrong about the ever-changing power position in the Tours. Back in 2021, Vingegaard stepped up closely pursuing Pogacar through the Pyrenees till the end of the race maintaining his second position. The same sage followed the two even in the next Championships.

In the mountain stage of last year’s race, Vingegaard outran Pogacar by 47 seconds, costing him till the very end. After the recent race, Vinegaard told NBC Sports, “It’s the best time trial I’ve ever done,” sharing his assumption of Pogacar taking the lead from him.  The riders had their fans on the edge with this year’s race unquestionably maintaining strong positions and periods of advantage.

American cyclists line-up for the 2023 Tour de France

A squad of six American pro cyclists spread at the Tour de France with the sole aim of winning the stage title. Just 1:42 min behind the lead is Neilson Powless also the “King of the Mountain” jersey holder.  Next up, Matteo Jorgenson won a stage recently with many triumphs in the current season. In the 15th stage, 20-rider crashed at the Tour de France, when a fan tried to capture the American master climber Sepp Kuss. He also broke a 10-year American winless streak last year having shown promise in the ground. 

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Other names in the cycle game included Quinn Simmons one of the 19 national champions this year, although he withdrew after the 9th stage from the race.

 The Tour de l’Avenir stage winner, Kevin Vermaerke, finished at 119th overall in the Tour. Lastly, with two major wins in Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España, Lawson Craddock also emerged as a name in the start list. While the race was tight, did you bet on any cyclist this year?

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