SIX IS THE LONELIEST NUMBER. Across a century of Tour de France history, only four riders other than Lance Armstrong have managed to stand atop the podium five times. For whatever reason—be it physiology, psychology, or some mysterious Gallic curse—no one has yet been able to win six times, much less six in a row. But this July, the 32-year-old cancer survivor, best-selling author, and international sports phenomenon from the Texas Hill Country aims to do just that.

In April, I caught up with Lance at his girlfriend's place in the Hollywood Hills—his girlfriend being Grammy Award–winning rock star Sheryl Crow. (Last September, Armstrong and his wife of five years, Kristin, said that they were divorcing; the couple now share custody of their three children. Since then, he and Crow have been seeing as much of each other as their schedules allow.) He had just finished a four-hour ride in the Angeles National Forest and was taking a dip in Crow's infinity pool. "Not a bad place to mooch a stay, huh?" he said as he climbed out. Armstrong is notoriously strict when it comes to time, so our interview was conducted during his post-training massage. Before I knew it, he was buck naked, and Dave Bolch, his massage therapist, was kneading those celebrated quads like twin slabs of Kobe beef. Full and frank disclosure: Armstrong wasn't entirely naked. He still wore his watch—a Nike Lance 4—which he repeatedly glanced at. With this guy, every second counts.

OUTSIDE: Did you ever imagine that you'd be in the position you're in now? Five and one to grow on.
ARMSTRONG: No. After the first one, I thought that could be the only one. And after the second one. After winning three, I realized that maybe I could continue.

Once, you were the underdog—and you seemed to draw strength from that. But now it's all yours to lose.
You know, I'm more scared of failing than I am excited about winning. I don't want to fail. I don't want to lose. I don't want to let my teammates down. I don't want to let fans down. And I don't want to let myself down.

When you're training, do you consciously think about number six?
I try not to think about that, but obviously I get reminded of it daily. There's even days where I get reminded about winning number seven! I'm like, Wait a minute. It's a little too much pressure to think about a grand total, especially a grand total that's never been done before.

How do you want to be remembered?
Quite honestly, I don't care about having a long-term legacy. I don't mean that in a bad way. It's just that I think it would be incredibly arrogant to walk through my day thinking about it. That's not why I get up every morning.

Why do you, then?
To train hard and win another bike race. If in 50 years they name a street after me, or build me a statue, that's fine. But quite honestly, I live for these days now.

How are you feeling this year overall?
I feel good. No physical problems, no health issues. The team is stronger than ever. And I like the course.