Lance Armstrong criticizes Tour de France leader for using the 'supertuck,' a dangerous move 'every Tom, Dick, and Harry is going to be trying'

• Julian Alaphilippe won stage three of the Tour de France and claimed the yellow jersey for France for the first time since 2014.
• In the final miles of the stage, Alaphilippe used the "supertuck," in which he lowered his body onto the frame of the bike to reduce drag and increase speed.
• Lance Armstrong was critical of the move, saying Alaphilippe took it to a new level and that there was a risk of amateur riders trying the stunt at home.
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Lance Armstrong was critical of Tour de France leader Julian Alaphilippe this week for using a dangerous move called the "supertuck" late in his stage-three win — after which he captured the yellow jersey.

Once Alaphilippe took the lead during an attack on the third of four climbs in the stage, he created a significant gap over the chasers. With about 2 miles (3.5 kilometers) to go, Alaphilippe alternated between pedaling and the supertuck, in which he squatted down on the frame of the bike, reaching speeds of over 30 mph (47 kph).

The NBCSN announcers called the move "not safe" and recommended that the audience "not do this unless you are a pro bike rider."

On Tuesday, Armstrong was asked about the move.

"I'm a huge critic of the supertuck," Armstrong said on NBCSN.

Armstrong went on to say that his fear of the move in this situation was that Alaphilippe took it to a new level, and by using it on such a big stage, amateur riders would be attempting the stunt at home.

"My fear about the supertuck is that Alaphilippe took it to a new level," Armstrong said on NBCSN.

"Not only did he supertuck, but he was looking back at the chasers while he was in the supertuck, which is next-level stuff. My fear, though, is that every Tom, Dick, and Harry on a group ride, here or anywhere around the world, is going to be trying the supertuck. I have to close my eyes."

The supertuck has been used in professional cycling for some time but seemed to find a bit of a renaissance in 2016 when Chris Froome used the move to help him win Stage 8 of the Tour de France on the way to his third win at cycling's biggest event.

SEE ALSO: Canadian in Tour de France who ran a sub-4 mile says he still runs because doing nothing but pedaling for 3 weeks makes you 'a better bike racer but a worse human' physically

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