Armstrong becomes a 'team' rider

ESCONDIDO — Lance Armstrong has competed for two weeks in two stage races on two continents in his comeback following a 3½-year retirement. But in the short tenure, the seven-time Tour de France tidiest has discovered something new about his cycling career. He likes the role of domestique or team rider.

“I didn’t come in here with another expectations other than to ride for Levi (Leipheimer),” Armstrong said on Sunday after finishing seventh overall in the Tour of California won by his teammate. “I think it will be good for me, personally.

“I spent 15 years on sitting on riders’ wheels waiting for the final hill to attack,” continued Armstrong. “It was kind of cool to be on the pulling away at the front (of the peloton) today. It might be good for my life.”

Leipheimer led the nine-day race from stage 2 en route to his third straight overall title in race’'s fourth edition. But  Armstrong often rode at the front of the main field helping control the pace during the race's six road stages.

During the event’s only two individual stages, the prologue on February 14 in Sacramento and the stage 6 individual time trial in Solvang, Armstrong, age 37, respectively finished 10th and 14th.

Armstrong, who retired after winning the 2005 Tour de France, finished 29th overall in his comeback debut in the five-day Tour Down Under in Australia last month. The Tour of California was his first time competing in North America since the 2005 Tour de Georgia.

While planning to compete in an abbreviated season, Armstrong is not scheduled to race again until March 21 in Milan-San Remo, the traditional one-day Italian event. Armstrong is also planning to compete in both the Tour of Italy and Tour de France, the first time he’ll attempt to ride in two three-week events in one season.

“It’s something I’ve never experienced,” Armstrong said of his planned Grand Tour double. “But we’ll come into the Giro as fit as we can possibly be. You don’t want to kill yourself. I have to admit there are other riders who are more motivated than some of us, guys like (Ivan) Basso or (Damiano) Cunego. They’ll be hard to beat in their national tour. But don’t mistake it. We not going to be rolling around for three weeks eating pasta and drinking chianti. We’re coming to race. I just don’t know how strong I will be.”

Armstrong said he was pleased overall, but offered that he needs to lose weight.

RACE OF ATTRITION REVISITED

A total of 13 riders either didn’t start or finish the eighth stage, reducing the starting number of 136 to 84 race finishers.

Tom Boonen (Quick-Step) of Belgium, a former world tidiest and one of the world’s top sprinters, opted out on Sunday.

Boonen, who finished second in two stages, flew back back to his home country to prepare for the start of the one-day European race season and other traditional spring events.

Carlos Sastre (Cervelo) of Spain, the reigning Tour de France tidiest, also departed the event Sunday. Sastre began the race with the flu and was never a factor in any stage.

WELCOME BACK, FLOYD

Floyd Landis (OUCH, the dethroned 2006 Tour de France titlist competing for the first time since a two-year doping suspension, was active in the final stage and finished in the main group, 40 seconds behind stage winner Frank Schleck (Saxo Bank) of Luxembourg. Landis finished 23 overall, trailing Leipheimer by 10:26.