Lelangue of success

Born and bred in the family of cycling, Lelangue was bound to follow in the footsteps of his father Robert who was the sporting director of Belgian great Eddy Merckx.

"My father transmitted to me his passion for this job. I've never seen or watched a race on TV without having tactical discussions with him," Lelangue said on Sunday.

"When I was a kid, the team headquarters were at home. The riders were coming round with their wives and children. So I overheard a lot.

"I did not ride a lot. I was more attracted by the job of sporting director."

Lelangue started with the unsung SLK team before moving to the Belgian Olympic Committee.

"In 1994, (outgoing Tour director) Jean-Marie Leblanc called me and asked me to be part of the Tour with him at ASO (Amaury Sport Organisation)," he said."

"While with ASO, I continued taking my exams to become a sporting director.

"It's my 17th Tour de France but I've always followed the race, especially when my father was involved."

Tour director Christian Prudhomme praised Lelangue for his approach to this year's Tour.

"Lelangue brought a lot of freshness to the race. He persuaded Landis it was possible to attack from the start of the stage and resurrected fairy-tale cycling, old-fashioned cycling, mythical cycling."

Leblanc added: "He is a boy of his times, modern, watchful and open to the new methods and the international dimension of cycling."

Landis's fantastic 133-km solo ride in the stage from St Jean de Maurienne to Morzine was reminiscent of 1971, when Merckx lost 8:42 to Spaniard Luis Ocana in the Pyrenees.

However, the "Cannibal" hit back the day after to make up two minutes and eventually win the Tour.

Lelangue said Merckx and his father called him after Landis cracked in the ascent to La Toussuire, finishing more than 10 minutes adrift of stage winner Michael Rasmussen of Denmark.

"During the Tour or other races, I always talk with my father. Only after the stages, not before," he said.

"After La Toussuire, he and Eddy Merckx were the first to call me to tell me we had lost a battle but not the war.

"Of course, it reminds me of 1971, it's a Tour like in the old days. That's a spirit my father taught me. What happened in the last Alps stage had never been seen in decades."

The Phonak team, who were riding conservatively until Landis' failure, were forced to change their tactics to have a chance of winning the Tour.

"We were ready to go for it. We believed in our chances of going all the way in that stage," said Lelangue.

"It was a big risk because in the first climb all the other riders were dropped and were facing elimination.

"If Floyd cracked in Joux-Plane, he was all by himself again."

Landis held his nerve and French great Bernard Hinault said: "It was a reaction of pride. I am sure he had a hunger the day before. He did something I had almost never seen".