Armstrong talks up Tour de France

Lance Armstrong expects the build-up to this year's Tour de France to be
"Ali-Frazier" in intensity as his rivalry with Alberto Contador keeps growing.

Armstrong finished third in his comeback Tour last year as Contador won for the
second time.
They were team-mates at Astana last year, but the animosity between them deepened
through the year.
Armstrong left Astana to spearhead the new RadioShack team, taking several riders
with him, and the two Tour champions have made clear their genuine dislike for each
other.
"I've got to do what I've got to do and that's make some adjustments, try to improve
on my level of 2009," Armstrong told AAP.
"All the personal stuff aside, just speaking about the athlete - he's a fantastic
athlete, he's a very complete rider.
"There's going to be a lot of buzz and build-up about that in 2010, especially now
that we've all left to create another team.
"It's going to be Ali-Frazier come early July and I will let everyone else build
that up - I will be ready, I've got to tell you."
Boxing legends Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier had a white-hot rivalry in the 1970s,
culminating in the legendary Thrilla in Manilla bout of 1975.
Armstrong has won a record seven Tour de France titles and will start his build-up
to this year's July race next week at Adelaide's Santos Tour Down Under.
Despite his age - Armstrong turns 39 in September - he is growing in confidence he
can beat Contador for an eighth Tour de France crown.
"I'm more excited than I was 12 months ago today ... I feel good about it, I really
believe I can (win the Tour de France)," he said.
"Every time I say it, there's 100 people who say 'no way', just because of my age,
but I'm an optimist so I'm staying there."
Armstrong started his cycling comeback at last year's Tour Down Under and it was a
massive success.
There is a growing assumption that this will be the last time he races in Adelaide,
with Armstrong set to retire again next year.
But if Armstrong can win the Tour de France again, he wants to return to the Down
Under race.
"If I'm lucky enough to get another one, then I could see racing another season,
which would mean going again in 2011 with all the same stuff," he said.
"As far as SA is concerned, I loved it down there last year - the vibe of the race,
the treatment of the fans, the reception we all had, the support of the local and
state government.
"It's first class and the organisation there really deserves a lot of standing
ovations ... three or four years ago it was a small race, now it's on the ProTour."