Cycling: American hopes high for Tour

During the final countdown to the Tour de France, which kicks off this afternoon with a city centre prologue here, the talk is not just of Lance Armstrong's chances of finishing in yellow but of the strong possibility of at least one other American rider taking another podium spot.

With the triple Tour winner's superiority taken for granted, the spotlight is widening towards an up-and-coming generation of America's riders leading European teams: the 28-year-old Levi Leipheimer in the Rabobank squad, and the 29-year-old Tyler Hamilton of CSC-Tiscali.

"There isn't any other country that can say that they could get all three on the podium," Leipheimer, who finished third in the Tour of Spain last year, said. "Even if it's only a one per cent possibility, it's great that it's being talked about." However, the Californian also counselled caution. "I'm just going to take it day by day," he said. "This is my first Tour and I still need to get into the race before I can really make predictions."

Hamilton was equally unwilling to push himself too quickly into the limelight. "I'm not sure exactly how good my condition is," the Massachusetts-born rider said, despite his second place overall in the recent Giro D'Italia, which he achieved after breaking his right shoulder-blade a third of the way through.

None the less, the American threat, as Armstrong himself recognised on Thursday, is a real one, however distant. "Tyler's a favourite," he said, although he minimalised the damage he felt his former US Postal colleague will be able to do, saying: "He will be able to follow me a long way in the mountains" – the implication being that once the Texan fires on all cylinders, Hamilton will be left struggling.

Armstrong's European contenders are equally unwilling to stick their necks out too far. When asked about the idea of a combined "Spanish Armada" allying against Armstrong's attempt at a fourth consecutive Tour win, ONCE-Eroski's Joseba Beloki, third for the last two years, would only venture: "It might work." He went on: "However, last year, I spent the whole of the mountains close to [another leading contender] Oscar Sevilla, and Armstrong was nowhere to be seen."

Beloki could not help but mention Jan Ullrich, the four-times runner-up who is currently awaiting the response from his team, Telekom, following a first positive test for amphetamines earlier in the week. "I will be at more of a disadvantage without him than with him," Beloki said. "His accelerations once Armstrong had broken away reduced the size of the chasing peloton."

The laborious process of watching for a chink in Armstrong's armour will begin this afternoon on a technical prologue circuit, generally used to establish an initial pecking order, but on this occasion featuring a tricky short final climb which could see gaps emerging.

David Millar's Cofidis team – which announced yesterday that their sponsorship will continue until 2005 – are optimistic about the 25-year-old Scot's chances today, despite his serious crash on the same stage in Dunkirk last year.

"More than just the top five, I can see him winning it," his team manager Bernard Quilfen said. "When he made that mistake last year, it was because he took a corner at 52kph instead of 52.3. But that's in the nature of top-level time triallists. Sometimes when he descends, I have to brake in the car behind because I am scared."

Overall though, Millar is convinced Armstrong will emerge victorious in Paris. In a blunt declaration he said yesterday: "Nobody can beat Lance."

* The Italian team Saeco-Longoni, barred from the Tour de France after their rider Gilberto Simoni tested positive for cocaine, announced that they will take legal action over the decision.

* The following changes have been made to the team line-ups published in our separate Tour de France supplement (which was printed before the final deadline for team lists): Alessio: David Casarotto (It) replaces Dario Pieri. Ibanesto.com: Santiago Blanco (Sp) replaces Jose Gutierrez Palinos. Team Deutsche Telekom: Udo Bölts (Ger) replaces Alexandre Vinokourov.