from www.dallasnews.com,
Sheryl Crow happy to play sidekick
Crow puts fame aside to follow boyfriend's run at Tour record
05:56 PM CDT on Friday, July 9, 2004
By ANDREW HOOD / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News
In the hustle and bustle of mechanics, teammates, coaches and staff
preparing Lance Armstrong for the Tour de France prologue, there was a
quiet presence that went almost unnoticed.
At the Tour, Armstrong is the center of attention, not a 5-3,
42-year-old singer-songwriter hovering around the U.S. Postal Service
team bus.
That's just fine for Sheryl Crow, who, at least in the insular world
of bicycle racing, is simply known as "Lance's girlfriend."
"I don't mind being in the shadows," said Crow, a nine-time Grammy
winner.
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Crow is more accustomed to being in the spotlight, but since she met
the five-time Tour winner at an Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation
event last fall, she's been sticking close to Armstrong and staying
away from the media glare.
In Europe, where cycling is a major sport, Armstrong is a much bigger
draw than Crow. During her few days at the Tour, she often walked
unnoticed until she stood alongside her bike racing boyfriend.
"This year for me has been a gift I've given myself to be out of the
public eye, and it's been fantastic being in Europe – where he
probably right now is a much bigger personality and visual person than
I am," she said. "I have no gripes of being in the shadow."
Armstrong has been singing the praises of rocker girlfriend Crow all
season long.
"Sheryl is a great girl. It's nice to have her over here," Armstrong
said.
Since their romance was "outed" during a Los Angeles Lakers game, the
pair has been all but inseparable. Crow reduced her recording and
touring schedule to be by Armstrong's side and moved into his
refurbished 14th-century apartment in Girona in Spain's Catalunya
region.
Armstrong's demanding schedule of training and racing and endorsement
and foundation work keeps them busy. The 32-year-old Texan said he's
thankful for Crow's devotion.
Songwriter Sheryl Crow has taken in much of the Tour de France. "She's
made a big commitment to be with me, to come to this world of cycling.
She has a big life also. She's not just a bike fan, she's a big rock
star," he said. "It's a big commitment on her part to come live the
life of a cycling girlfriend, do laundry, cook food, do all the things
that all wives or girlfriends do."
For Crow, it's a labor of love.
"I've had so many incredible things happen to me, and I'd say meeting
Lance has been the most incredible. It's changed my life, and I'm
happier than I've ever been," she said. "I'm with someone I admire
greatly and not only enjoying being with, so it works out great."
Armstrong's love life became gossip column fodder following his
separation from his wife Kristin in 2003. Their divorce became final
in November.
Crow is a keen runner and biker who often joins Armstrong on his
training forays up Europe's steepest mountains. Before the Tour, when
Armstrong and key teammates were training on Alpe d'Huez, Crow rode up
the difficult climb on a mountain bike.
Crow's first race with Armstrong was the Tour of the Algarve in
southern Portugal in February. Since then, she's traveled with
Armstrong throughout Europe as he raced and trained to prepare for the
Tour.
Like most Americans, however, she's been impressed with the magnitude
and scale of the Tour.
"Lance has said all through this last training season that whatever
I've seen as far as bike races go, expect it be a thousand times more
chaotic. It's definitely been that," she said.
Crow left her boyfriend's side this week for some commitments, but
promises to be back in Paris in time to watch Armstrong roll down the
Champs-Elysées later this month.
"I don't know how he does it, but I will say that he's an amazing
example of the incredible will of the human spirit to defy what the
body is saying," she said. "He's mind over matter all the way. More
than that, he loves it and enjoys it. It's all wrapped up in one."
Since Crow is sacrificing so much for him, how is Armstrong going to
return the favor?
"He says he's going to tune my guitars," she said.