Cycling
Crash revitalizes a lagging Armstrong
By Associated Press
© St. Petersburg Times
published July 22, 2003
LUZ-ARDIDEN, France - His yellow jersey smeared with dirt after a fall, Lance Armstrong got back on his bike with a fierce look that said it all: The Tour de France is slipping away. It's now or never.
Riding like the four-time champion he is, Armstrong overcame a hard crash and two weeks of lackluster form to tear away from his closest challengers Monday and set cycling's premier race for a gripping finale.
In its 100-year history, the Tour has witnessed many epic days, but few like this. A spectator knocked Armstrong off his bike as he was accelerating away from rival Jan Ullrich in the last ascent to the ski resort of Luz-Ardiden high in the misty Pyrenees.
His left elbow grazed, the 31-year-old Texan picked himself up, remounted and stormed past Ullrich to perhaps save his chances of equaling Miguel Indurain's record of five successive Tour wins.
Armstrong entered the 15th stage with his overall lead hanging by a thread. Ullrich, the 1997 winner, was 15 seconds back and gaining, while Armstrong had struggled for days. When he crashed, Armstrong said he told himself: " "Lance, if you'd like to win the Tour de France, it's today.' "
He crossed the line 40 seconds ahead of Ullrich, slumped over his handlebars, drained. Overall, thanks to bonus time he got for finishing first, Armstrong widened the gap over the 29-year-old German to 67 seconds - giving him a vital cushion for crucial days ahead to the finish in Paris on Sunday.
But he could do without the drama. This has been a hard Tour for Armstrong. He battled stomach flu before the start on July 5; he was bruised in a crash on the second day; he failed to dominate in the mountains; he was crushed by Ullrich in Friday's time trial.
"This has been a Tour of too many problems, too many close calls, too many near misses, too many things that seem like they're worth a lifetime," Armstrong said. "I just wish it would stop. I wish I could have some uneventful days. But anyway it was a good day today."
The stage win was Armstrong's first of this Tour, apart from an earlier team time trial victory, and put his career total at 16.
His dominant ride effectively knocked his second-closest rival, Alexandre Vinokourov of Kazakhstan, out of the running, giving Armstrong a needed cushion entering the last time trial Saturday.
Ullrich bit 96 seconds out of Armstrong's overall lead in that event Friday. Armstrong feared if his lead over Ullrich stayed at 15 seconds before Saturday's race, his Tour could be lost. That left Armstrong, an excellent climber, little choice but to attack on the lung-burning 8.3-mile ascent to Luz-Ardiden.
But about 5.9 miles from the finish, a spectator's outstretched bag caught Armstrong's handlebars, toppling him. Armstrong hit the tarmac heavily, but was not badly hurt. Spain's Iban Mayo crashed into Armstrong as he lay in the road and fell.
Ullrich, who swerved to avoid Mayo and Armstrong, proved a gentleman, waiting with others while Armstrong and Mayo caught up. Armstrong thanked his rival but recalled that he also had slowed for Ullrich when he crashed on a steep descent from a mountain pass in 2001.
"Jan is a good guy, he's an honorable guy," Armstrong said. "As we say in English: "What goes around comes around,' and so I appreciate him doing that."
Ullrich may regret his sportsmanship.
Armstrong threw himself onto his pedals after recovering, powering past Ullrich and others up the mountain into the mist. His legs whirring, a silver cross bouncing on his chest, Armstrong widened the gap as he ascended: 15 seconds, 20, 40.
Ullrich finished the stage third, behind Mayo. But Vinokourov was eighth, dropping 2 minutes, 45 seconds behind Armstrong overall. He was 18 seconds back at the start of the day.
"Lance is back," said Floyd Landis, his U.S. Postal teammate.
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