Vinokourov to challenge Armstrong

GRENOBLE – Alexandre Vinokourov has thrown down the gauntlet to six-times Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong.

The Kazakh rider, just 62 seconds behind the Texan in the overall standings after the first week of the Tour, believes that with T-Mobile team-mates Jan Ullrich and Andreas Kloden they are ideally placed to attack Armstrong in the second week which gets underway today after yesterday’s rest day with a 192.5 km climb to the Alpine ski resort of Courchevel. “I never thought Lance was unbeatable.We got a look at that the other day,” said the 31-year-old referring to Saturday’s stage when Armstrong struggled to hold off his challengers.”This is the first time the three of us – Jan, Klodi (Kloden) and me – have started the Tour together.It’s a big advantage.I’m pretty pleased with my first week.”Armstrong lost the yellow jersey after Sunday’s dramatic day of climbing which handed Germany’s Jens Voigt the race lead for only the second time in his career.Former mountain biker Michael Rasmussen of Denmark was the star of the day after claiming the stage in style following a brave 169 km breakaway on the 171 km ninth stage in the Vosges hills.Armstrong, in third place, leads 5th-placed Vinokourov by 62 sec, 8th-placed Ullrich by 66 sec and 11th-placed Kloden by 1 min 50 sec.”I think we’ve shown Lance the three of us are capable of attacking him,” he warned.The American’s team were nowhere to be seen on Saturday’s first climbing stage when Vinokourov attacked.Vinokourov, who finished third overall in 2003 and is the right-hand man of Germany’s 1997 winner Ullrich, was testing the American ahead of the Alpine stages in the next three days which could be decisive.Saturday’s stage honours were taken by Dutchman Pieter Weening, who beat Kloden in a photo finish.-Nampa-AFP”I never thought Lance was unbeatable.We got a look at that the other day,” said the 31-year-old referring to Saturday’s stage when Armstrong struggled to hold off his challengers.”This is the first time the three of us – Jan, Klodi (Kloden) and me – have started the Tour together.It’s a big advantage.I’m pretty pleased with my first week.”Armstrong lost the yellow jersey after Sunday’s dramatic day of climbing which handed Germany’s Jens Voigt the race lead for only the second time in his career.Former mountain biker Michael Rasmussen of Denmark was the star of the day after claiming the stage in style following a brave 169 km breakaway on the 171 km ninth stage in the Vosges hills.Armstrong, in third place, leads 5th-placed Vinokourov by 62 sec, 8th-placed Ullrich by 66 sec and 11th-placed Kloden by 1 min 50 sec.”I think we’ve shown Lance the three of us are capable of attacking him,” he warned.The American’s team were nowhere to be seen on Saturday’s first climbing stage when Vinokourov attacked.Vinokourov, who finished third overall in 2003 and is the right-hand man of Germany’s 1997 winner Ullrich, was testing the American ahead of the Alpine stages in the next three days which could be decisive.Saturday’s stage honours were taken by Dutchman Pieter Weening, who beat Kloden in a photo finish.-Nampa-AFP