Armstrong now fighting for second

Seven-time champion Lance Armstrong says he is now fighting for second place on the Tour de France after he slipped further off the virtual podium following Wednesday’s 17th stage.

Luxemburg rider Frank Schleck won the 169.5km ride on the toughest day in the Alps with Spain’s 2007 Tour champion Alberto Contador finishing second to tighten his grip on the yellow jersey.

Saxo Bank leader Andy Schleck, third on the stage, is second at 2:26 while Frank is 3:25 adrift in third.

Armstrong, who started the day second overall at 1:37 behind Contador, fought hard on the 15km descent from the summit of the Col de la Colombiere to close an earlier gap and finished fifth.

The result leaves him fourth overall at 3min 55sec behind his Astana teammate but it is second-placed Andy Schleck the American now has in his sights.

“Second is still my goal, I guess it’s still possible,” said Armstrong.

“If I don’t win it’s not the end of the world, but of course I would like to be on the podium in Paris.”

Armstrong was left behind when the Schleck brothers launched a series of attacks to try to shake off Contador on the steep Col de Romme whose summit was 29km from the finish.

Thanks to their accelerations, a group which included the top five in the general classification was split, with Armstrong left behind to mark Garmin’s Bradley Wiggins.

“With hindsight, I probably should have gone with the earlier acceleration,” said Armstrong.

“I didn’t match the acceleration of the other guys, I was stuck back alongside Wiggins, I had to wait until the very end when it got a bit steeper.

“I just tried to be conservative on the (climb up the) Col de Romme and didn’t go with those initial attacks.

“It’s a different position than I normally find myself in, but it’s not strange.”

With Astana leader Alberto Contador breaking away, Armstrong hinted at the frustration he felt having to stay back to monitor the progress of time-trial expert Wiggins.

“I wasn’t really paying attention, I was staying with Wiggins, I guess I have to bite my tongue on that one,” he said.

Armstrong later left the Garmin rider on the last kilometre of the day’s final climb and the Briton could not follow.

“I was a bit concerned about Wiggins, but in the last kilometre of the Colombiere (the final climb), I decided to jump away.”

Armstrong says both Thursday’s time trial at Annecy and Saturday’s assault of the fearsome 21.1km climb up to Mount Ventoux will ultimately decide who is left standing on the podium in Paris come Sunday.

“I think we still have two big days: the time trial will shake things out, there will also be a big shake out at Mount Ventoux,” he said.

“I am gonna do my best, it would be nice to get on the podium, I will go as fast as I can around Annecy and go up the Ventoux as fast as I can.”