Armstrong takes stage, overall lead in Tour de France
Associated Press
PLA D'ADET, France — Lance Armstrong's tour through the Tour de France is following a familiar pattern: a slow first week, convincing runs in the mountains and overall victory.
Associated Press
Armstrong assumed control of the race yesterday, taking the leader's yellow jersey with seven days of racing remaining.
Lance Armstrong rode his third stage victory yesterday to the overall lead in the Tour de France.
After outclassing his rivals in the Alps, Armstrong left them stranded in the Pyrenees, where his third stage victory brought him closer to a third straight Tour title.
Armstrong had trailed his major rival, Jan Ullrich of Germany, for much of the final climb. Then, in the closing stretch, the two-time champion sprinted ahead, crossing the finish line a minute ahead of Ullrich.
"We were all confident that we would get the (yellow) jersey," said Armstrong, who started the stage in third place. "The tactics worked our way."
Following his third win in this year's Tour, Armstrong leads the overall by 3 minutes, 54 seconds over Andrei Kivilev. Ulrich is fourth, 5:13 behind. All three wins came in the mountain stages, which began Tuesday. Before hitting the Alps, Armstrong wasn't in the top 20.
His advantage over Ullrich means that he is in position to win the race when it ends at Paris July 29. Only today's stage between Tarbes and Luz-Ardiden — the last mountain leg — is likely to have a major impact on the race standings.
Armstrong completed the difficult 120.47-mile stretch from Foix to Pla d'Adet in 5:44:22. Ullrich was second and Spain's Joseba Beloki third.
