PARIS (AP) - For Lance Armstrong to win an eighth Tour de France, he will not only have to beat the best rider in the world - his teammate and rival Alberto Contador - he will also need to master an innovative course with a grueling last week that includes four mountain stages.
The 37-year-old American rider, back in competition this season after more than three years of retirement, said in an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday that this year's race, starting Saturday in Monaco, was more likely to favor pure climbers like Contador.
"There is only (about 34 miles) of time trials, which is much less than normal," Armstrong told The AP in a telephone interview. "And the final week is extremely hard with a lot of climbs. So all the way from Colmar (stage 14), to Verbier, the Alps, the time trial and then the (Mont) Ventoux ... I've never seen a final week of the Tour like that!"
Armstrong has never won at the fabled and dreaded Ventoux - one of the few climbs where's he's come off second-best.
"It owns a special place in my heart," Armstrong said. "Obviously it would be a sweet feeling to win there finally, but if you want to win there you have to be the best."
Traditionally, the Tour finishes with a time trial on the penultimate day, before a largely ceremonial ride into Paris on the last day.
But this year, Ventoux, a huge moonscape of rock in Provence with no vegetation, will be the 20th of the 21 stages. The punishing climb, on which British rider Tom Simpson died in 1967, could possibly decide the outcome.
In his heyday, Armstrong had two occasions to triumph on the so called "Bald Mountain."
In 2000, when he won the Tour for a second time, he allowed the late Marco Pantani of Italy to pass him at the finish line, later regretting having given away the victory.
Two years later, Armstrong's team reacted too late and failed to catch Frenchman Richard Virenque, settling for third place.
"It reinforces that I made mistakes the previous two times," Armstrong said. "I should have raced differently in 2000 and we should have raced differently in 2002. The Ventoux deserves the strongest riders, the mountain asks for that."
Four years ago, in the pre-Tour warmup race at the Dauphine Libere, Armstrong was dropped on the Ventoux's final climb by Alexandre Vinokourov - Armstrong wobbling in his saddle as the Kazakh rider sped away proving a rare sight indeed.
After the opening time trial in Monaco and a team time trial in Montpellier where the Texan believes his Astana team will take the yellow jersey, the peloton heads out along the Mediterranean coast and up through the Pyrenees, where three mountain stages are scheduled.
The first one, between Barcelona and Arcalis, is the most demanding with a grueling 6.6-mile final ascent. Usually, Armstrong would dominate his rivals on the race's first big climb, but this time he is preaching caution.
"There are too many difficult parts in the final week," he said. "Honestly speaking, I plan to be careful in Arcalis. You really have to think about the final week."
Armstrong is prioritizing the Alpine stages, where the scrap between the favorites promises to be fierce after a transition across central France and into the East. The cancer survivor spent four days in the Alps before heading to Monaco and the scouting was fruitful.
Armstrong thinks that the first alpine stage to Verbier, Switzerland, on July 19, could have some surprises in store.
"Verbier is a climb that I think a lot of people think is quite easy," Armstrong said. "It's not easy. It's not long but to me it's like a mini Alpe d'Huez. It's steep but it's only 5 miles. Anybody who thinks it's going to be easy is going to be surprised."
Armstrong also thinks the 16th stage between Martigny, Switzerland, and Bourg-Saint-Maurice, which follows a rest day, and features two very difficult ascents: the Col du Grand-Saint-Bernard and the Col du Petit-Saint-Bernard, could also surprise some riders.
Armstrong also previewed the time trial on the 18th stage, a 25.1-mile trek around the lake of Annecy, and the Monaco time-trial, a 9.6-mile route with climbs, tricky hairpin bends and fast curves.
Armstrong recently finished the Giro d'Italia in a creditable 12th place and his body weight is reassuringly low.
"I'm lighter than I was before," he said. "Before, I was about (163 or 164 pounds). And now it's (159 1/2 or 160 1/2). It's a good thing and I think it's because I already have one Grand Tour in my legs. I came out of the Giro pretty light and then the last month I was very careful with diet. I trained very hard in altitude and all those things contributed to the good body weight."
That's a good sign for Armstrong, then, given that his body weight was traditionally low when he dominated mountain stages during his seven Tour wins from 1999-2005.
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AP Sports Writer Jerome Pugmire contributed to this report.