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| |  Monday, 1 July, 2002, 13:22 GMT 14:22 UK Riis hands out Armstrong warning Riis believes CSC have a future Tour winner
Former Tour de France winner Bjarne Riis has warned that Lance Armstrong's stranglehold over the race is on the verge of coming to an end. Riis, the team boss at CSC-Tiscali, knows what it takes to win the Tour, having triumphed back in 1996. The great Dane warned that 2002 would once again be Armstrong's year but that CSC riders Tyler Hamilton and Carlos Sastre had the ability to win it the following year. "It looks like it's Armstrong's year once more," he told BBC Sport Online. "But we are a great team and will cause some surprises." Riis has already named his team for the Tour with Hamilton, Sastre and Laurent Jalabert nominated as the outfit's leaders this year.
He explained: "Laurent won't compete in the overall classification but he is very strong for stage wins and possibly the king of the mountains jersey. "Tyler showed with his second place in this year's Giro that he has the ability to match the best, and he and Carlos will be aiming for the top 10. "I think winning the race is out of the question but next year both guys will be in the running. "I genuinely believe they are future winners of the race." The ultimate aim for the Danish team this year is for the overall team classification award, a feat Riis believes is attainable. "We've got a great team for the race," he added. "Our team is very different to many others with no clear leader and we are taking a fresh approach with a lot of young riders. "I'm really excited about the race and believe we can fight Armstrong and his US Postal team on many of the stages." Riis retired from riding two years ago and is in his second season at the helm of the CSC team.
As both a rider and manager, Riis has been forced to shake off the drugs innuendo which has plagued the sport since the 1998 Tour. And the Dane has set up a strict regime in his team in a bid to clean up the sport. "Any rider found guilty of doping offences will be thrown out of the team straight away," he said. "And that's the only way." Already big-name sponsors Mapei and Big-Mat have announced they are to withdraw from the sport after the end of the season. Mapei, one of the sports' biggest names, are pulling out because of the continuing drugs scandals which have rocked the sport. And Riis said: "Obviously on the one hand it's terrible to lose a big name like Mapei but hopefully it will make some of the riders wake up and realise the implications of drug taking. "The sport has to clean up. It's getting cleaner but I don't think it will ever be 100% clean, like any sport I guess." | |
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