On a Tour de France rest day, Lance Armstrong is silent but his rivals aren’t

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No cycling today in France -- it’s the 21-stage tour’s first of two rest days. But that doesn’t mean all the cyclists lay in their Limoges hotel rooms and vegged out. Besides taking leisurely rides to keep their legs in peak form, many riders held news conferences.

For example, young Astana star Alberto Contador held one at a Novotel hotel outside of Limoges where more than 200 journalists showed up and the meeting was convened under a tree next to a swimming pool. Contador said he would not follow Lance Armstrong should the 37-year-old, seven-time Tour winner make an attack in the Alps next week. We think that was Contador’s own voice and not team director Johan Bruyneel playing the ventriloquist.

At another news conference, defending champion Carlos Sastre said he was hardly conceding his title to Contador or Armstrong.

And Andy Schleck, another yellow jersey favorite, was optimistic about his own chances but also suggested he would not be surprised if Armstrong won.

Even Garmin rider Bradley Wiggins couldn’t help talking about Armstrong.

Armstrong himself, however, stayed silent Monday. He must have actually been resting.

-- Diane Pucin