Armstrong briefly attacks on stage two

(AAP) Lance Armstrong is re-discovering the main requirement for any professional cyclist - the ability to suffer on a bike.

The cancer survivor and seven-time Tour de France champion briefly made two attacks
near the end of stage two in Adelaide's Tour Down Under on Tuesday as his comeback
continues.
Those two surges did not last long and Armstrong finished safely in the peloton as
Australian Allan Davis won the stage and took the overall lead.
But the signs are encouraging for the Texan and his long-time manager John Bruyneel
says Armstrong is performing better than he would have expected.
"It's a suffer-fest, so it's going to take me a little time," Armstrong said.
"I like to suffer - I know it sounds weird."
Armstrong's second attack during the hilly 145km stage from Hahndorf to Stirling was
with rising Australian star Jack Bobridge, who is only 19.
"I had heard how good he was, I didn't know how aggressive he was ... he doesn't
care, he lets it fly whenever he feels good," Armstrong said of the Adelaide native.
Armstrong is thoroughly enjoying part one of his comeback, saying his form was
improving and the response to his global cancer initiative had been much better than
he anticipated.
He confirmed that if the comeback extended to next year, it would definitely include
the Tour Down Under.
"I can tell you this, if I am racing next year, I will be back," he said.
Armstrong likened the doubts surrounding his ability to return to professional
cycling to the doubts surrounding Davis over the last 18 months.
Davis has also suffered in that time, but for a different reason.
He was one of the riders implicated in Spain's Operation Puerto, a 2006
investigation that sent shockwaves through professional cycling.
Davis was implicated, but investigations cleared him of wrongdoing.
When the Bundaberg native won a stage of the Tour Down Under last year, the 28 year
old still did not have a new contract and was racing for the composite national
team.
Late last year, Davis scored a deal with Belgian team Quick Step.
"If we couldn't win, we were happy to see him win, at least," Bruyneel said.
Davis is the only rider to have ridden in all 11 Tours Down Under and also raced
briefly under Bruyneel at Discovery Channel, after Armstrong retired in 2005.
"Obviously he got caught up in Puerto ... it seems he might have been one of those
(people) who were tarnished because of the team he was on - you hate to see that,"
Armstrong said.
"You have a year out and people say you're done, they don't give you chances and
then you come back and you come back with a vengeance.
"For me, I'm proud of him."
Armstrong also obviously can relate to doping suspicions, given the American insists
he has always raced clean.
Armstrong has employed noted American anti-doping scientist Don Catlin to run his
own personal testing program.
But it is unclear what data from the testing will be made public, as initially
promised.
"I would rely a lot on what Don Catlin wants to publish, but we will publish data
and information," he said.
The race continues on Thursday with a 136km stage from Unley to Victor Harbor, south
of Adelaide.