Ekimov, who had never won a major time trial, led Armstrong by one second after the first of the three laps, by eight seconds after two, then, in the final lap, blew him away as Armstrong faded. Even Ullrich, who's known for his strong finishes, couldn't keep up with Ekimov at the end, slipping from five seconds ahead to eight seconds behind in the last five miles. It was, quite simply, the race of Ekimov's life. But next year we're going to be a unit, no problem. He can win more Tours, no question about it.
Lance is the most respected rider in the pelaton.
He's a hero. And I'm just real proud to be on his team. The feeling, clearly, was reciprocal. Sports Ilustrated's newsletters and alerts. Sports Illustrated and CNN have combined to form a 24 hour sports news and information channel.