Armstrong extends lead at Tour de France

Posted 6:01AM on Thursday 22nd July 2004 ( 20 years ago )

L'ALPE D'HUEZ, FRANCE - Lance Armstrong doesn't care about the negative reaction he receives. He's more worried about winning a record sixth straight Tour de France title. Armstrong was booed, spat at and insulted, but the five-time Tour champion shrugged off hostile sections of the crowd packing the road up to L'Alpe d'Huez to win Wednesday's time trial - moving another step closer to cycling history. "That motivates me more than anything," the 32-year-old Armstrong said. "It certainly doesn't work against me. I'm not concerned about them." With four stages left in cycling's showcase event, Armstrong knows some would rather he didn't wear the yellow jersey in Paris on July 25. Armstrong extended his overall lead in winning the 9.6-mile clock race in under 40 minutes, a leg marked by hundreds of thousands of fans snaking up the mountainside, standing perilously close to the competitors. In the overall standings, Armstrong has a commanding lead of 3:48 over Ivan Basso. Jan Ullrich, the 1997 Tour winner, improved to fourth, but trails by 7:55. The tense atmosphere, heightened by approximately 4.9 miles of unfenced roads, reached its peak when some spectators spit at and verbally abused Armstrong. "It's ugly. But this is big-time sport," he said. "People are emotional and excited. It doesn't take away from my desire to win. I think it puts a little fuel on the fire. "Some people ... their guy goes by and they cheer. They don't spit at them," he added. "Then they give everybody else a hard time. That's not class." It likely will take more than unruly fan behavior to stop Armstrong. Thursday's 17th stage, a 126.8-mile trail from Le Bourg-d'Oisans to Le Grand-Bornard, is the last ascent in the Alps. It features five climbs, one to Col de la Madeleine at an altitude of 6,600 feet. Only a drastic lapse in form by Armstrong would offer those chasing the champion a glimmer of hope. So far, Armstrong has been peerless in climbs, winning three of the four mountain stages and finishing runner-up once. Only Italy's Basso has been able to keep up, but Armstrong powered past him Wednesday. Armstrong's chief rival, Ullrich, the last to beat the Texan in a time trial, was easily beaten, settling for second place 61 seconds back. His best chance now looks to be a spot on the podium. The German has finished runner-up five times in the Tour, including three times behind Armstrong. Armstrong seemingly has the Tour all wrapped up, but typically, he is not thinking that way. "I try not to. I'm real careful about counting to the number six," he said. "I'll do that on the final lap on the Champs-Elysees." Riding powerfully Wednesday, Armstrong negotiated 21 hairpin turns to the L'Alpe d'Huez ski station in 39 minutes, 41 seconds. He overtook Basso en route to victory, despite starting two minutes behind the Team CSC leader. "Lance was superior," said Basso, who crossed eighth, 2:23 behind. "I hoped to lose less time. I have nothing to reproach myself. I gave my maximum." It was Armstrong's second consecutive stage victory and the 19th of his career. He also won team time trials with his U.S. Postal Service squad this year and last. Andreas Kloden is third overall, 5:03 back. He placed third on Wednesday, 1:41 behind Armstrong. At the bottom of the climb, crowds covered the road, parting at the last second as riders approached. Some fans ran alongside the bicycles, waving flags that came close to catching handlebars or wheels. Others were slow to move aside, forcing riders to swerve. Armstrong said it "wasn't a good idea" and complained about German fans, saying they were "horrible." It was the first time that Tour organizers ran a time trial on the legendary climb. "I don't think it's safe," Armstrong said. Others enjoyed it. "It was cool ... amazing with all the people on the hill," said American Christian Vandevelde of the Liberty Seguros team. "You'll probably never get this chance again. Who gets to be in front of a million people? Not even NFL players. Nothing compares to it." Australian sprinter Stuart O'Grady was not troubled by the proximity of the fans. "I had a lot of German and Dutch fans offering me beer," he said. "I'd love to have stopped for one. Maybe next time."

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