You're right, Beetle, to say that a good team is always an asset in major tours...but there is an exception: In 1986, Greg Lemond won the Tour with a team (LaVieClaire) rife with turmoil, capped by the rider he was counting on to help turning into his worst enemy. Again in 1989, Lemond was saddled with a team (ADM) whose goal was to do well in the spring classics. 50% of his team abandoned before reaching the real hills. His best teammate was Eddy Planckaert, whose talent was on horizontal roads. In 1990, when Lemond rode for Z, that team had better mountain talent than his ADM team, but that was about it. It's when I think of these performances that I believe a case can be made that Armstrong, with the results he's gained thus far, is still not the better American rider.