Lance Armstrong was hurting people today in Australia. Key paragraphs:
Both Armstrong and Perget said they felt like they are in better shape than they were in January of 2009. Perget seemed to prove this by initating the breakaway at the Cancer Council Helpline Classic, and Armstrong followed him.
"I wondered what I could do to show off and please myself," said the 25-year-old Perget. "Halfway into the race, after a fast lap, I thought it was the right moment to attack. But I didn't want to go for just one or two laps ahead. When I attacked, I heard 'go Mathieu' in Spanish, and that was my former teammate Oscar Pereiro."
"When our group was formed, Armstrong's turns were twice as long as ours. He obviously enjoyed being in the front. He was fully on."
Française des Jeux's Mikaël Chérel, the other Frenchman in the break, was also impressed by Armstrong. Chérel was prompt to follow his fellow compatriot off the front and was a bit surprised to see the seven-time winner of the Tour de France joining them in the break.
"It was nice to be out there with him", Chérel said to Cyclingnews. "I don't know if he had something in mind, but he was doing a lot of efforts. It was really impressive. I can tell you that when you are on his wheel when he pedals at threshold, it hurts! He was a step above everybody else in the breakaway."
Boldface added.
Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. 