Strong-arm tactics

Armstrong shakes off rivals with mountain win

Lance Armstrong holds a lead of one minute, 12 seconds. AP

LA MONGIE, France (Reuters) -- Defending champion Lance Armstrong seized the overall lead in the Tour de France when he outclassed his rivals to win the first mountain stage over 158 kilometers from Pau to La Mongie on Thursday.

Helped by a fantastic effort from his U.S. Postal teammates, the three times Tour champion dropped his opponents one by one in the first big climbs of the Pyrenees to prove that he was once again the one and only boss in the bunch. (Results | Standings)

The American surged ahead in the last 200 meters to beat Spaniard Joseba Beloki, who took second place seven seconds behind and looks like Armstrong's only rival for the rest of the Tour.

Armstrong's teammate Roberto Heras of Spain, who led his leader towards an impressive 13th stage victory overall in the ski resort of La Mongie, was third.

"To me he was the stage winner," said the American about Heras, and then explained he could not let his teammate win the stage because Beloki was close to them.

"To me, the biggest takeaway is the team and the performance of the team, it's one thing to take the yellow jersey and another thing to keep it.

"For this you need a great team and I can sleep well at night knowing I have a great team, the best team in the race," he added.

Overall, Armstrong leads Beloki by one minute 12 seconds with Igor Gonzalez Galdeano, who held the yellow jersey at the start of the stage, third 1:48 behind.

For Armstrong, who had won the first mountain stage in each of his three previous Tour victories, the last climb to La Mongie, halfway up the Tourmalet pass, was almost business as usual.

But his teammates, who led the peloton's chase throughout the stage behind early breakaways, did a fantastic job in an impressive final show of strength.

Blue train

American George Hincapie was the first car in the so-called U.S. Postal "blue train" and he led the main group in the first kilometers of the La Mongie climb.

Then Spaniard Jose Luis Rubiera took over and the pace went up as yellow jersey holder Gonzalez Galdeano lost ground once and for all.

Former Tour of Spain winner Heras, Armstrong's most precious aide, completed the work, dropping the Texan's rivals except Beloki, the ONCE team leader.

Before the big final fight for the line, Frenchman Laurent Jalabert celebrated the announcement of his imminent retirement from the sport with a long solitary breakaway. (Jalabert takes lap of honor)

Crowned king of the mountains last year thanks to a similar move in the Pyrenees, Jalabert attacked on the first super category climb of the race this year, the Aubisque pass.

At best, the Frenchman held a 3:35 lead over the chasing group, which included all the leading favorites for overall Tour victory.

The CSC-Tiscali team leader was caught five kilometers from the finish, but the points scored from reaching the Aubisque summit in the lead could help him claim back the best climber's polka-dot jersey.

Millar loses white jersey

David Millar's hopes of a good overall placing in this year's Tour de France ended in disappointment Thursday when he struggled on the first mountain stage from Pau to La Mongie in the Pyrenees.

Millar started the stage in the white jersey, awarded to the best young rider, but lost it to Italian Ivan Basso, who finished the stage in eighth behind winner Lance Armstrong.

"I feel all right now but I just didn't have the legs on the climb, it was a bad day," Millar told Reuters after the finish.

"I just didn't have it to stay with the leading riders on the climb or with my rivals for the white jersey such as Basso.

"I haven't got much chance in the young rider competition now so I'll just take it day by day and try and win a stage," he added.

Millar was dropped 11 kilometers from the line at the start of the final climb. He finished 54th, 7:23 behind stage winner Armstrong.

The 25-year-old Briton also slipped down the overall standings from seventh to 27th place, nine minutes and 28 seconds behind new leader Armstrong.

Friday's 11th stage takes the bunch over 199.5 kms from Lannemezan to the Plateau de Beille for another high altitude finish.

 

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