Pedaling hard through the Pyrenees at remarkable speed, Lance Armstrong tackled the tenth stage of the Tour de France. Starting at an altitude of thirty-three feet above sea level, Armstrong was in sixteenth position with five minutes and fifty-four seconds separating him from the leader. For many, this would represent an insurmountable amount of time to catch up, especially on a stage containing such a grueling and exhausting climb, but Armstrong saw it as an opportunity to put his great climbing skills to use (Stein 60). At the pace for most of the stage, he remained well behind the leader. Then it happened; he reached the horrible Mount Hautacam and began his “eight-mile sprint through the rain and up the Pyrenees” (Thomsen 45; Stein 60). Each mountain...... middle of paper ......* Stein, Joël. “Uphill runner.” Time July 24, 2000: 60.* Sterling, Michael & Associates. Lance Armstrong Online. February 2003. March 9, 2003.* Thomsen, Ian. “Heavenly Ascension.” Sports Illustrated July 24, 2000: 42+.* Vecsey, Laura. “The Armstrong Climb is more than a bike ride: cycling.” The Baltimore Sun December 20, 2002: 1D.