OPINION

By James Startt

updated 5:53 p.m. ET July 11, 2009

Lance Armstrong rolled alone down the mountain after the seventh stage of the Tour de France on Friday, and his race-hardened face told a story all its own: In his mind, Astana teammate Alberto Contador had just lost the Tour de France.

The growing rivalry between Armstrong and Contador has been the saga of this year's Tour de France, one that pits the race's legendary champion against the greatest rider of the current generation. Going into Friday's stage — which would conclude with a mountaintop finish in Andorra Arcalis — Armstrong held a 19-second lead over Contador, and with it, the symbolic leadership of the Astana team.

Strong headwinds greeted the pack as they ascended the final climb. The winds made it nearly impossible for any dramatic breakaways as the Astana team controlled the pace at the front. The scenario was perfect for Armstrong — it allowed him to secure his hold on second place without expending too much energy. The situation proved too frustrating for Contador, however. With 2 kilometers to go before the finish line, he broke away from the rest of his team and shot up the mountain alone. He made up 21 seconds, which bumped Armstrong to third place and placed Contador in second.

At the finish, Armstrong appeared betrayed. "That wasn't really the plan," Armstrong said of Contador's attack, unable to put a positive spin on a story that had suddenly gone wrong. "But I didn't expect him to go by the plan. I wasn't surprised." According to Armstrong, the team planned to conserve energy and not place the team in a position of force too early in the race.

Armstrong has a rare ability to transform anger into strength on his bike. He thrives when he can focus on an enemy. Just ask Rudy Pevenage, who once directed Armstrong's longtime German rival Jan Ullrich.

Armstrong struggled to save his yellow jersey in the 2003 Tour de France, as Ullrich inched steadily closer to it when the race entered the Pyrenees. But then Pevenage blundered. One morning prior to the start, he snidely predicted to a member of Armstrong's U.S. Postal team that Ullrich would wear the yellow jersey at the end of the stage. Suddenly, Armstrong had found his enemy. Only hours later, Armstrong unleashed one of his greatest attacks ever in the Tour when, after crashing on the Luz-Ardiden climb, he then caught and passed Ullrich, and essentially cemented his fifth consecutive Tour title. 

"He just has that ability to channel a negative into a positive," American cyclist Christian Vande Velde told Bicycling before the start of stage eight in Andorra. Vande Velde rode with Armstrong when he won his first Tour in 1999 and currently sits in eighth place in this year's Tour. 

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According to source close to Armstrong who wished to remain anonymous, that is very much the case as this year's race heads into its second week. "He is pissed!" the source said. "He was pissed at the hotel that night in Andorra. He's putting on a good face for the public. It's apparent, but he's not showing it to the public. He's going to win."

Contador has more to worry about than just Armstrong. Many within the Astana team did not appreciate his surge, which they consider divisive.

Armstrong, who has repeated all along that the team is his main concern, is winning the support of potential troops within Astana. But, he must be careful. Much of his return to racing has been built around his work with his Livestrong foundation for cancer awareness. The benevolent cancer activist cannot afford to get pulled into a cutthroat power struggle with his own teammate that could pose a potential threat to his positive image as a humanitarian.

Time and again, however, Armstrong has proven to be the master strategist when it comes to winning the Tour — and that's more bad news for Contador.

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