Lance Armstrong's return to the race he dominated for seven years should not stop team mate and hot favourite Alberto Contador from stamping his authority on a Tour de France more scrutinised than ever before. Spaniard Contador, winner in 2007, will lead the Astana team but with deluxe domestiques like Armstrong and Tour podium finishers Levi Leipheimer and Andreas Kloeden, his margin for error is extremely slim. The Armstrong v Contador rivalry is reminiscent of that between Bernard Hinault and American Greg LeMond, who won the 1986 race despite repeated attacks from his French team mate. Although Astana manager Johan Bruyneel made clear Contador would be the leader and Armstrong his lieutenant, the seven-times champion is likely to try his luck early in the race to turn the hierarchy upside down. "I would love to be a... [read full story]
