Tour de France
Armstrong one ride from history

By Samuel Abt
New York Times News Service

CHRISTOPHE ENA / AP Overall leader Lance Armstrong rides through the countryside yesterday on his way to winning the individual time trial.

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BESANCON, France — Completing eight days of dominating the Tour de France, Lance Armstrong demolished the pack yesterday in a long individual time trial and virtually sealed his record sixth successive victory in the race.

After he finished more than a minute ahead of his nearest rival in the race against the clock and widened his overall lead to 6 minutes, 38 seconds, only Armstrong himself was unwilling to say he had crushed the field during the three-week Tour.

"I wouldn't be so bold as to call it a domination," he said at a news conference after his fifth stage victory since July 17. "I hardly ever attacked, so I didn't try to dominate."

Tell that to the 146 other riders remaining of the 188 who set out July 3 in Belgium. The race ends today in Paris, and Armstrong, the American leader of the U.S. Postal Service team, said that it would be a big day for him.

"This one is very, very special for me," he said. "To be on the verge of making history is incredibly special."

A few minutes later, after he was asked to list the highlights of each of his six Tour victories, he said of this one: "Maybe (today). Climbing the top step and making it six will be my highlight this year."

He referred to the three-step podium on the Champs-Elysees.

There will be one change in that podium order from the overall ranking before the 19th stage, 34 miles through and around the city of Besancon in eastern France.

Andreas Kloden, a German with the T-Mobile team, rose from third place overall to second, switching rank with Ivan Basso, an Italian with CSC.
 
Before the ceremonial final stage, Armstrong leads Kloden by 6:38, Basso by 6:59 and fourth-place Jan Ullrich, another German with T-Mobile, by 9:09. Those margins are consistent with Armstrong's earlier victories except for that of last year, when he finished 1:01 ahead of Ullrich.

Armstrong was timed in 1 hour, 6 minutes, 49 seconds, a speed of 30.68 miles per hour. Despite a heavy rain earlier in the day, the roads were dry when he and the other leaders left three minutes apart in reverse order of standing.

Ullrich was second, 1:01 behind, with Kloden third, 1:27 behind. Kloden began the stage trailing Basso by slightly more than a minute, but Basso could do no better than sixth place, 2:50 behind Armstrong, leaving him 21 seconds short of second place.

Since the final stage usually sees the pack finish together in a mass sprint, it is highly unlikely that Basso can make up his deficit. The unwritten code of protocol, in fact, even dictates that he should not try.

Armstrong also discussed reports that he will not ride in the Tour de France next year after setting the record of six victories, breaking a tie with Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain.

"I haven't made a schedule for next year," said Armstrong, adding that he would sit down with team sponsors and officials in the next month or two and decide where he will race.

"But make no mistake about it," he continued, "this is the greatest bike race in the world. I can't imagine skipping it. I can't imagine not being in it."

When Asked what made him so special as a rider, he replied: "I know it's a mix of talent and work. The answer is total and complete commitment and hard work.

"I believe that the man who works the hardest is the man who deserves to win."

Overall leaders

Five-time defending champ Lance Armstrong leads by more than six minutes entering today's final stage.

1. Lance Armstrong, U.S. Postal, 79 hours, 27 minutes, 17 seconds.

2. Andreas Kloden, Germany, T-Mobile, 6 minutes, 38 seconds behind.

3. Ivan Basso, Italy, Team CSC, 6:59 behind.