Denis Menchov managed to defend his lead through the last stage of the Giro d’Italia yesterday, a time-trial through the streets of Rome in which Bradley Wiggins, of Britain, came a mere second from winning. Yet while the Russian was claiming the overall honours, the race in his wake featured the rise and rise of Lance Armstrong.
Armstrong’s twelfth place overall may not have threatened Menchov, but his riding in the past week has confounded expectation. When he crashed and broke his collarbone in late March, it seemed reasonable to rule him out of Tour de France contention. After the Giro, he must be firmly ruled back in.
After one of his stronger rides, in the climb up to Blockhaus on Wednesday, Armstrong reported on