Armstrong 22nd overall at 3:34 Back?

Armstrong has been saying since the start of the Giro that he’s not here to race to win, but his fans worldwide just didn’t want to believe it. After hanging with the leaders Tuesday in his first mountain summit since retiring in 2005, I was still hoping for a miracle. Just hours before the stage started, Armstrong said he expected to lose two minutes. He was close and he always knows his numbers. After getting gapped with about six kilometers to go, Armstrong came across the line 35th at 2:58 back. “Like I said in the beginning, the first half is not going to be my half. I have to ride into the race and get my condition back after the accident. We’ll see what happens in the second half of the Giro,” Armstrong said at the line. “I cannot expect to be in the front. If I could have woken up this morning, snapped my finger and ridden away from everybody, I would have done that. I’d like that but it’s not realistic in 2009.” All eyes were on the seven-time Tour champ when he started swinging at the back of the lead pack with seven kilometers to go. With Liquigas cranking up the speed, topping 30kph on the 7-percent grades up the winding climb to Alpe di Suisi, the front group of 30 favorites was strung out and the chord finally broke for Armstrong with about six kilometers to go. “I don’t have a problem with people riding away from me. I knew it was going to happen,” he said. “I just look around, find my guys and ride my tempo.” He was always surrounded by his Astana teammates Janez Brajkovic, Chechu Rubiera and Dani Navarro, the four of them climbed together and limited their losses. “We just started to ride our tempo and try to limit the losses. Maybe two minutes, but closer to three, but that’s OK,” Armstrong said. “It was a matter of finding the right rhythm, you find your threshold and hold it there.” The people were cheering as we went by as if we were winning,” said Rubiera. “Lance was setting the rhythm and once he recovered a bit, we were going faster. My job here is to help him. I follow him even on the downhills back to the team bus, because people jump out to take photos and get in the way. I am impressed with his condition, considering he broke his collarbone in Spain a month ago. He’ll be good at the Tour.”