Armstrong feeling heat

Ullrich back at his best to win Tour time trial

Talk of Lance Armstrong's vulnerability has dominated the race. AP

CAP'DECOUVERTE, France (AP) -- A battered Lance Armstrong himself conceded Friday he's probably no longer the man to beat in the Tour de France.

Hot and thirsty, the four-time Tour champion ran out of energy on a key stage leading to the demanding Pyrenees, losing precious time to one of his main rivals, Germany's Jan Ullrich.

Not since Armstrong overcame cancer to return to the Tour in 1999 has his grip on cycling's most prestigious race looked so tenuous.

The 31-year-old Texan barely hung on to the race's overall lead after finishing second Friday in the individual time trial, a crucial event where riders unleash every bit of force to beat the clock.

The muscular Ullrich, a 1997 Tour winner and twice runner-up, powered across the 47 kilometers (29 miles) of rolling vineyards from Gaillac to Cap'Decouverte in an impressive 58 minutes, 32 seconds to take the Tour's 12th stage. He was the only rider out of 167 to finish the stage in under an hour.

But in a sport where every second counts, Ullrich shaved off more than 1 and half minutes from Armstrong's lead.

"Now, he's the big favorite," Armstrong said of the Team Bianchi rider, who will enter the lung-wrenching Pyrenees just 34 seconds behind the American cycling star.

Following the race, Armstrong -- looking stunned -- ascended the podium to accept the overall leader's jersey. At a later press conference, he seemed physically shattered and in low spirits.

"I had an incredible crisis ... I felt like I was pedaling backward," a flush-faced Armstrong said. Temperatures in the shade reached a sweltering 36 degrees Celsius (97 degrees Fahrenheit) and were far worse in the sun.

"Perhaps it was too hot for me," Armstrong said. "I don't know. I suffered."

Armstrong lamented running out of water before the final climb to the finish line, set on a rocky outcrop that was once a carbon mine but later turned into a theme park.

"It's the thirstiest I've ever been in a time trial, right from the beginning for some odd reason," he said.

In stark contrast, Ullrich was buoyant.

"From the start I never thought I could win this time trial," he told reporters, sweat dripping from his face. "I got my old rhythm back ... I didn't expect this [victory] myself."

"I have never beaten Armstrong in a time trial in the Tour before, and I did it now, in my comeback year," Ullrich said.

Further bad news for Armstrong is that Ullrich tends to grow stronger as the race enters its final eight stages, four of those in the Pyrenees.

Armstrong, however, slightly widened his lead over Alexandre Vinokourov of Team Telekom, who placed third, 2:06 behind. The Kazak mountain specialist, who had been the nearest rival until Friday, now trails by 51 seconds overall.

Armstrong was not the only exhausted front-runner.

Immediately after crossing the finish line in fifth place, American Tyler Hamilton -- competing with a double fracture to his right collarbone -- stumbled off his bike, lurched forward and vomited.

Hamilton sustained the injury during a mass crash on July 6, but persevered through pain to carry on the race. Despite the odds, the Team CSC rider is now fourth overall, 2:59 behind the leader.

Since he won his first Tour in 1999, Armstrong has won six of eight individual time trials -- aside from Friday's disappointing race, his only other loss in the time trial came last year.

Talk of his vulnerability has dominated this race. And his performance Friday provides a psychological lift to his opponents, who now see victory well within their grasp.

"It's a very difficult day," Armstrong said.

Having won the last four Tours, a victory this year would see Armstrong join Spanish cycling great Miguel Indurain as the only cyclist ever to win five straight titles. Three other riders have won cycling's showcase event five times, but not consecutively -- Frenchmen Bernard Hinault and Jacques Anquetil and Belgium's Eddy Merckx.

But he sounded less than confident as he prepares to lead the pack into the treacherous Pyrenees slopes and embark on his matchup with Ullrich.

"If the others attack in the Pyrenees, then I'll follow, or I'll try to follow," he said.

But one factor that could play into his hands is the unsettled weather that is expected to descend on the mountains this weekend.

"I saw the forecast for storms in the Pyrenees Sunday -- so that was good news," Armstrong said.

 

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