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CNN Saturday Morning News
Interview With Chris Carmichael
Aired July 06, 2002 - 07:29 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.
ROBIN MEADE, CNN ANCHOR: One of the most grueling competitions in sports gets under way today, the Tour de France. And right here, you see the pictures from last year's race, you might recognize that.
Well, cyclists will start their trek in Luxembourg and continue through Germany, the planes of northern France, and the Mediterranean coast, and the Pyrenees, and the Alps mountains. The race is more than 2,000 miles long -- can you believe that?
It takes 21 days to complete. So, no easy task there. And, American Lance Armstrong is aiming for his fourth straight Tour de France title. Joining us, this morning on the phone from Luxembourg to talk about Armstrong's chances is his coach, Chris Carmichael. Chris, it's a pleasure. Thanks for having us in this morning, and joining us.
CHRIS CARMICHAEL, LANCE ARMSTRONG'S PERSONAL COACH: Sure, glad to be here.
MEADE: Thanks, Chris. So, how is he doing? How do you think his chances are?
CARMICHAEL: Lance is doing exceedingly well. He looks -- he's looking real strong. We did a couple of tests last week, and he tested as high as last year. So, in middling (ph), he's very focused.
MEADE: So, do you think, I guess the question is, will he be a fourth consecutive victory this year? This is not a hard question to ask this coach...
CARMICHAEL: Well, you know, anything can happen out there. And, barring a crisis, I would expect Lance to finish victorious but there's a long way to go to Paris.
MEADE: Sure. You know, you've worked with Lance, obviously, since the early 1990s. You've watched him battle back from cancer and make a comeback on the cycling circuit. Have you changed his approach to cycling or the way that you've coached him recently?
CARMICHAEL: Well, during his comeback from cancer we changed the way Lance trains. We focused almost entirely on aerobic development and the use of our technology -- Internet coaching tools, power meters, and things like that. Heart rate monitors. That really can allow Lance to maximize his performance. MEADE: I wonder, when I ask you questions like that and you answer them so readily, have you heard of any competitors kind of copying that? And hearing what has worked so well for Lance and then trying it for themselves?
CARMICHAEL: There are. And it's definitely happening, and I think that's good for the overall sport. More technology, the more advanced and the more time intersports, the better the competition gets so we'll just keep -- as the bar goes up we'll keep stepping up to that bar.
MEADE: You know, Chris, his performance obviously has been amazing to so many people. Since you are close to him and you coach him so often, is there anything that this man can do that will surprise you, athletically?
CARMICHAEL: He continues to surprise me. You know, I mean, just primarily is his dedication to always looking to how he can perform better and not just being satisfied if he's winning but looking at how he can do it a little bit better, get a little bit faster each time, and that's what's most surprising.
MEADE: You know, on the screen right now folks are seeing -- I don't know if you can see it where you are, Chris -- a map of the Tour, and folks may not understand, this think is 21 days long, no easy feat. Tell me a little bit about the team concept that goes into getting this far.
CARMICHAEL: Well, Lance has one of the strongest teams in the race, U.S. Postal Service team. And you need a mix of athletes that can kind of carry a team leader through the rolling flatter stages, keep him out of the wind, so he's not having to spend as much energy, and make sure that he's getting the feed bags along the way. And that keeps him out of, potentially, crashes and things like that. And then when you get to the mountain stages, you need kind of the smaller frame, lighter riders that can help Lance pace him through the mountain stages.
But, basically, in the Tour de France you go through flat terrain, rolling terrain, mountains; you go through hot, humid weather to cold, possibly even snow on the mountains.
MEADE: Chris, I know it is a long haul, and it's 21 days, as we said, and so we wish you and the team good luck then. Lance Armstrong, as well. Take care.
CARMICHAEL: Thank you.
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