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Page 12C Sunday. June 29. 2003 (De ftrtmstort Star TOUR DE FRANCE Ham) toiota to nimto Ihiostairy 'A iMMninll-'1- By Joseph Coleman Associated Press. PARIS Lance Armstrong is already one of the greats of the Tour de France, a member of a select group to have won cycling's premier race four times. The question now: How close will he get to being the greatest? The Texan is aiming for his fifth consecutive victory when this year's Tour begins Saturday.

The feat would match a record held by only one man, Spain's Miguel Indurain, who won in 1991-95. Three other racers have won five Tours, but none of them consecutively, and a victory this year would put the 31 -year-old U.S. Postal rider in line for an unprecedented sixth win. While the punishing three-week race is never easy. One is age.

While racers have won the Tour well into their 30s, all of the five-time winners made their final successful bids before their 32nd birthdays and two of them before they were, 30. Armstrong, who overcame testicular cancer to win his first Tour in 1999, is no stranger to adversity. While acknowledging that he's getting older, Armstrong insists he's still in top form. Fie has not had a stellar season so far this year, however. He finished 20th at the Liege-Bastogne-Liege classic in Belgium at the end of April, and then didn't race until the Dauphine Libere, which ended June 15.

He also toppled from his bicycle during the Dauphine Libere. While he continued and won the race, the fall still shook him up. "First, I have to recover from my fall last week," Armstrong was quoted as telling the French newspaper 20 Minutes. "I've never had an accident like that." This year's contest also' marks the return of German cyclist Jan Ullrich, who won the Tour in 1997. He's coming back from nearly two years of injuries and a drug ban.

It's not clear whether Ullrich will be at the height of his powers after the long absence. But Armstrong sees him as a serious challenge. "Ullrich looks in better shape than he's ever been, he's still one of the biggest engines in cycling, and he has that key factor because he knows he can win it," Armstrong said. Armstrong has also listed as potential Tour rivals Spanish cyclist Iban Mayo, the runner-up at Dauphine Libere, and up-and- Armstrong won last year's Tour with a comfortable lead of more than 7 minutes, and even he is suggesting he wouldn't mind a little more competition. "The Tour de France could be a lot closer," he said earlier this month during the Dauphine Libere race, which he later won.

"That's more exciting, which is fine by me." But Armstrong's enduring strength, his single-minded focus on the Tour and the lack of obvious challengers mean he remains the favorite to win again this year. ''There's a lot of talent out there, but nobody trains for the Tour like Armstrong," said Graeme Fife, author of "Tour de France: The History, the Legend, the Riders." There are, however, a few factors that could complicate Armstrong's quest this year. coming racer Tyler Hamilton, of Marblehead, a former U.S. Postal teammate who rides for Danish CSC Tiscali. The 32-year-old Hamilton won the Liege-Bastogne-Liege on April 27 and Switzerland's Tour of Romandie in early May.

'Tyler's a threat, we know that. If you had to name 10 people, he's on the list," Armstrong said. "He climbs well, he time-trials well. He' has made a lot of progress over the years. I would say he is now a complete rider." Another rival is Italian climbing specialist Gilberto Simoni.

Still, opponents don't see much evidence that he will race any differently than he has in the last four Tours meaning they have a monumental task ahead of them. Tin sure he's going to be very strong. It's not easy to get the victory from him," said Associated Press Lance Armstrong is bidding to become only the second cyclist to win five straight Tour de France races. Bjarne Riis, the winner of the 1996 Tour and now Hamilton's manager. "But you never know what can happen he can be sick, he Can crash, have a bad day like anybody else." Tour hits 100, remains race all want to win 1000 A Anyr Rollover" Minutes COOL COLOR PHONE ONLY $29" "ct-aw ond.2-yejr orv'Ct Phoncj pricv bwttxw -rft r.

i. Full color screen Text messaging ready Ringtones Games Internet ready NOKIA 3Q99 per month -X Ink By Joseph Coleman Associated Press PARIS They cycled for weeks in blistering sun and cold night rains. Spectators compared them to bulls and gave them nicknames such as "the Brute" and "the Chimney Sweep." They straggled into Paris caked in mud and sweat some after riding over broken glass strewn in the road by their rivals. Much has changed in the 100 years since the Tour de France was first run in 1903 as a sports newspaper's publicity stunt, but one thing has stayed the same: the race remains a grueling battle of brawn, brains and ambition. "It's the biggest race, I think the hardest race, the race that everybody wants to win, to do well in," said Bjame Riis of Denmark, who won the 1996 $36 activation fee applies.

Other monthly charges apply. See below. Domestic calls only. Airtime charges apply. Calls placed outside calling plan area $.79 per minute.

CONNBCTING FOOTLE 3560 phor Roaming3nd -Nationwide Long Distance included on all calls1 aaywhere in Alabama. Coverage is not guaranteed and is not ubiquitous four and raced in it nine times before retiring. 11113 3 1UUI Will llll exception. The race, broken up fi Color looks good A VL on you, Angels. jJ Associated Press Competitors in the early days of the Tour de France, like 1903 winner Maurice Garin (right), went by colorful nicknames such as "The Brute" and "Chimney Sweep." The scandals fit in with riders' rough, working-class image.

Racer Leon Georget was known as "the Maurice Garin, who won the first Tour, was known as "the Chimney Sweep." The penchant for harsh nicknames far outlasted the early years: Eddy Merckx of the 1960s and '70s was known as "the Cannibal." That image has only served to enhance the lore and mystique of the Tour, one firmly grounded in the charming and scenic French landscape and the ethos of the small farming villages that the race runs through. "You can just feel it, the aura, the mystique is around you. Whole towns turn out hours in advance of the race coming through," said Graeme Fife, author of "Tour de France: The History, the Legend, the Riders." "You just have to be in a town like that, and the whole place hums with expectation," he said. The route this year was set to recall the 1903 race, starting in Paris and then going through some of the same cities: Lyon, Marseille, even Ville d'Avray, a leafy suburb west of Paris. Nine new towns will be on the route as well.

None of this year's stages starts or finishes outside France, although the 14th leg in the Pyrenees crosses briefly into Spain. There are two rest days, three individual time trials including the prologue, and one team time trial. The Tour has seen many changes since the early years. The image of the single rider in the night has morphed into a modern cyclist with spiffily dressed teams and entourages. Racers once had to flip their wheels to change gears; now they ride finely tuned, state-of-the-art machines.

The competition has also fallen prey to history. Seasons were, missed during the two World Wars, and despite the 100th anniversary, this Tour will only be the 90th. Xcinqular fits you PART OF THE BWSOUTH FAMILY nTMtf U.K.! -fun ttn into 20 stages, will run 2,077 miles, starting in Paris on Saturday and going clockwise around France, through the Alps and Pyrenees, and finishing on the Champs-Elysees July 27. The focus again will be on Lance Armstrong, winner of the last four Tours and poised for his fifth in a row. A victory by the Texan would tie the record set by Miguel Indurain of Spain, who won it from 1991-95.

Three others have won five Tours, though not consecutively: Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault of France, and Eddy Merckx of Belgium. Despite the enduring dominance of Armstrong and his own comment earlier this month that a tighter finish would be more exciting the contest has always been a spectacle, even when it was founded in the early days of the 20th century. The race was the pet project of Henri Desgrange, editor of upstart French sports newspaper L'Auto, and his assistant, Geo Lefevre. The two were searching for a publicity coup to knock established paper Le Velo from its pedestal. A highly publicized bicycle race all around France touted by L'Auto as "the greatest cycling trial in the entire world" seemed to fit the bill.

Within a couple of( years, Le Velo was out of business and the Tour was a brilliant success. The early tours were as brutal and cutthroat as they were exciting. Riders cycled through the night, and rules dictated they repair their own bicycles, fix flat tires and wear the same clothes from start to finish. They were known as "convicts of the road," and Desgrange heaped even more punishment by adding baokbreaking mountain stages. The cyclists themselves often did anything to win.

Riders scattered broken glass and fans tossed nails on the road to confound rivals. One rider in 1903 claimed he was poisoned. Competitors were accused of widespread cheating. -a- .1 io sign up wine 4 Qt riKiail ADi r'mn plan that fits you today: wwrvn iwwuni nnvv.wiiyuiai.kwiii inwn iu anj wi vui sivics Cingular Wireless Stores ANNISTON 1830 Quintard Ave. GADSDEN 201Q Rainbow Or.

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