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CNN Sunday Morning

Interview With Chris Carmichael

Aired July 28, 2002 - 08:16   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: The Tour de France is spinning to a close, and Lance Armstrong is poised for his, believe it or not, fourth straight tour victory. So -- how does he do it?

By phone, from Paris, Armstrong's coach, Chris Carmichael joining us this morning.

Chris, thank you for being with us.

CHRIS CARMICHAEL, COACH FOR LANCE ARMSTRONG: I'm happy to be with you guys.

CALLAWAY: I'm sure you are. There's two hours left in the race, and he's doing well, isn't he?

CARMICHAEL: Oh, yes, it's -- he's in a great position, you know, fourth Tour de France victory is -- looks imminent, at this point, but it's not over until he crosses the line.

CALLAWAY: Right, right, well, the unforeseen, I guess could happen, but he does certainly look like the winner. This really has been one of his easiest victories since he returned to the Tour de France.

CARMICHAEL: Well, you know, Lance makes it look easy, but -- it's hard work for him, and really the work comes well in advance, you know. All the training that he has to do in advance of the tour is really what separates him from his a -- from his competitors.

CALLAWAY: I know the French doping probe is certainly in the media there in France, and Lance not letting that bother him apparently.

CARMICHAEL: No, I mean this is an investigation that has gone on for over two and a half years, and it's -- and it's coming to an end, and there's nothing that has been found, and they've -- they are basically letting it go, because there's nothing that's been found, and you know, it's a -- I hope in a sense that is a vindication for the fact that all the hard work that he's put in, because I get -- I perhaps get most irritated by it, because I see how hard he works for his victories.

CALLAWAY: You know, you have to question the motivation behind these reports; I know they were even yelling things at him during the race. This is getting harder for him, though, in another aspect, because he's away from his much loved family for such a long period of time, for the Tour de France.

CARMICHAEL: Absolutely, I mean, Lance is a -- is a very big family person, and his family's very important to him, and I know that weighs upon him, but they're very supportive of his career as a professional cyclist, and, you know, they've been, they've been beside him, his wife Kristin (ph) has been beside him through thick and thin, and that's not going to change.

CALLAWAY: Fourth straight history, this could be. That's just incredible. He will have to go down as certainly the best American cyclist out there. You know, I know you contributed to this; what do you think makes him stand out?

CARMICHAEL: I think the biggest thing that Lance has that I get to see in any professional athlete, whether it's a cyclist, or you know, all the different athletes -- we -- the lead athletes we work with, Lance's commitment to really doing the homework in advance -- I mean, he's a 365, 24/7 athlete, and everything's geared around this event, and I think that's the biggest separation between him and his opponents.

CALLAWAY: I think everyone knows that he battled testicular cancer successfully. He does seem to be the type of individual, the type of athlete that you give him something to make it more difficult, and he just fights that much harder, and I'm sure the media, in this case, in France, just motivated him even more to move forward -- didn't it?

CARMICHAEL: Absolutely. You know, I think he, you know, I forget who said it, but "True greatness isn't -- is really determined by the manner of adversity that you overcome," and I think Lance's ability to overcome adversity is his greatest attribute.

CALLAWAY: Chris, before you, we're running out of time with you, but will be his last Tour de France?

CARMICHAEL: I don't think so. I think he's a -- I think he's got two more in him.

CALLAWAY: Well, for those -- two more, great -- for those of us who love to watch him ride, we're happy to hear that. Lance Armstrong's coach, Chris Carmichael.

Good luck to you, Chris, we hope to see you in the winner's circle.

CARMICHAEL: Thank you.

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