Armstrong's Rival Edges Closer
Key rival Jan Ullrich nipped two seconds out of Lance Armstrong's overall lead in the Tour de France's 18th stage Friday, a boost for the German ahead of a time trial Saturday expected to settle their gripping duel for the Tour title.
Ullrich, the 1997 Tour winner, trimmed Armstrong's overall lead to 65 seconds by edging the four-time champion in a sprint section of the super-fast 126.2-mile stage from Bordeaux to this town in west-central France.
Ullrich was second in the intermediate sprint, earning him four bonus seconds. Armstrong was third, getting two seconds — meaning his overall lead over the 29-year-old German dropped from 67 to 65 seconds.
Spaniard Pablo Lastras won the stage at an average speed of 30.962 miles per hour, making it the second-fastest road stage in Tour history. Lastras beat France's Carlos Da Cruz in the last few yards in a sprint. Daniele Nardello, an Italian rider for Team Telekom, was third.
"It was a very difficult stage, because it was very fast," said Lastras, of the Ibanesto.com team. "I wanted this victory for my mother who died four months ago."
Armstrong finished in a large pack of riders grouped with Ullrich, more than 24 minutes behind Lastras, saving energy for Saturday's crucial race against the clock to Nantes. With their race so close, the two seconds Ullrich gained Friday could be crucial. At least, they should give him a morale boost ahead of the time trial.
Armstrong is pursuing Spanish great Miguel Indurain's record of five successive wins.
Ullrich, silver medalist in the time trial at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, is hoping for a repeat of his crushing defeat of Armstrong in a time trial last Friday, when he bit a whooping 96 seconds off Armstrong's overall lead, setting the stage for a grippingly close final week in the three-week 2,125-mile clockwise slog around France.
Armstrong, however, was dehydrated last Friday because of a heat wave that scorched the Tour. He has never lost the last time trial at the Tour since his first win in 1999 and says he has no intention of doing so this year.
"I'm relaxed. I remain confident because I've raced very well in the last time trial over the last four years," said Armstrong.
He brushed off Ullrich's slight gain on his overall lead.
"It's not important losing two seconds. I don't think the Tour will be decided by two seconds," he said.
The 31-year-old Texan's mood has been more buoyant since his dramatic stage victory Monday in the Pyrenees, when he recovered from a fall and powered past Ullrich to build on his previously razor-thin overall lead.
"He is confident," his sporting director, Johan Bruyneel, said Friday. "He's happy, his morale is good. I think he'll do a good time trial."