Lance is exactly where he wants to be at this point

"I felt pretty good," he said. "I was very curious how I'd do. I can come in with expectations that can be unrealistic having not had any experience for the last three and a half years. But just based on my training I expected to be in the first few on the climbs. I guess I can say I was able to do that. It's in line but there's still a long way to go. I'm pretty happy."

Armstrong said if he had any second thoughts about coming back, it was during Friday's long, wind-blown stage through the Barossa Valley wine country. "I was hurting," Armstrong said. "I didn't have a good day. My legs were screaming at me all day long and I was thinking, 'Wow, that's not fun.' But the next day was a lot better.

"That's the way it's going to be, with good days and bad days. I have to focus on the habits, all the little things. When you're 37 you can't just get by like when you were 27, no way. You have to double down hard on all those little things."

Next up is the Tour of California next month. - latimes.com

clipped from www.latimes.com Although Lance Armstrong led the final stage for a few moments, he mainly spent the Tour Down Under riding in the pack and not among the leaders. Reporting from Adelaide, Australia -- Lance Armstrong was in first place when he stood on his pedals, powering through the throaty voices and the pounding of cheer sticks on the barriers. There was still one more lap to go during this final stage of the Tour Down Under. Armstrong wasn't going to win the race or even the stage. But in this moment he sent a message. There was power in his move and strength and most of all confidence. The 37-year-old Armstrong wouldn't magically pounce at a crucial moment and, whoosh, be away, ahead of the field, like the good old days of winning seven straight Tour de France titles. Not yet anyway. But Armstrong showed his oomph once this afternoon when he made a move to chase down a breakaway, when he tested his fitness, his legs, his desire to fight. He passed all three checks.