Time Bandits: Columbia-HTC, Astana-Led Stage 3 Breakaway Dishes Time Losses to Top 2009 Tour de France Contenders

Like he had never left the Tour de France, Lance Armstrong sent out a vivid reminder to the cycling world during stage 3 that the 7-time champion should not be underestimated as he searches for his 8th Tour de France title. Behind astute tactical awareness and solid team support, Armstrong was able to make a decisive 25 man breakaway along with two of his teammates, leaving many of the top GC contenders, including his own teammates Levi Leipheimer and Alberto Contador, more than a half minute behind on the stage. And by the time the clock stopped, Armstrong found himself in third place overall, 19 seconds ahead of prohibitive overall favorite Alberto Contador. Armstrong's advantage on the other top GC riders now stands at over a minute in most cases.

Armstrong did as he had done in so many previous Tour de France stages: Stay at the front of the peloton and remain vigilant for any possible moves going off the front. And when the Columbia-HTC team punched the accelerator about 30 kilometers from the line, Armstrong was the only big time GC candidate that made the split. He had two of his teammates with him in the form of Yaroslav Popovic and Haimer Zubeldia, while nearly the entire Columbia contingent drove hard at the front of the break group as they took Mark Cavendish to the line for his second consecutive satge win.

That none of the other GC men were able to make the front group is astonishing, and speaks to Armstrong's ability to disappear into thin air despite being one of the most heavily marked riders in the race. Never satisfied with the status quo, Armstrong showed once again why he has been so successful at the Tour each year that he contested it. He takes nothing for granted, and around every corner is testing both the minds and bodies of his competition. That veteran riders like Sastre, Evans and Menchov didn't see it coming is astonishing.

In the days leading up to the Tour many media outlets and fan forums explored the possibility that Alberto Contador was making alliances with other teams in case he should find himself in need to support during the Tour. After all, Armstrong was back on Astana and making no secret about wanting to try to win the Tour for an 8th time, so Contador's actions seemed justified and pragmatic considering the circumstances. What no one anticipated though was that perhaps Armstrong was doing the same thing for his own chances.

In what was too much of a coincidence to ignore, Armstrong's old teammate George Hincapie was one of the Columbia-HTC riders who was instrumental in creating the decisive stage three gap. To allege that Armstrong had possibly spoken to the American-registered team during the race was plausible, if not blatantly obvious. Additionally, Armstrong took two teammates with him, Popovic and Zubeldia, that Contador likely was not watching. Levi Leipheimer, a staunch Armstrong supporter, and Andreas Kloden meanwhile, remained in the main field, perhaps putting Contador at ease. By the time the Spaniard realized what happened, his teammate and rival Armstrong was up the road, never to be seen again on the stage.

Clearly, the 2009 Tour de France will be unlike any other edition of the race over the past ten years. Astana, obviously the strongest team in the race from a GC perspective, is fractured no matter what management says. There is an Armstrong camp and a Contador camp, and to all appearances the deck is firmly stacked in Armstrong's favor within the Kazahk-based team. Ever the tactician though, Armstrong is leaving nothing to chance. Like Contador, he is making alliances with other teams to ensure he has the best possible chance to win. Contador, far less experienced than Armstrong, is over his head from a mental perspective. As usual, the winner of the Tour will be that rider who has the best legs AND the keenest mind. Armstrong, at least for now, seems to have the advantage in both.