Lance Armstrong recovers from fall to win 15th stage
LUZ-ARDIDEN, France, July 21 - Lance Armstrong showed extraordinary determination to recover from a fall on the final climb of the 15th stage of the Tour de France on Monday and seize back control of the race. The American, bidding for a record-equalling fifth Tour victory after dominating the last four years, appeared to clip a spectator as he duelled with German rival Jan Ullrich, crashing to the ground along with Spain's Iban Mayo. He quickly got back on his bike as the peloton waited for him, as tradition demands. But shortly afterwards, as he battled to recover his momentum, his shoe slipped out of his pedal, almost bringing him down again. It was the U.S. Postal rider's second fall of the Tour after he was involved in a mass pile-up on the first weekend of the three-week race. Many believed the Texan was no longer the force of old, but his reaction to his fall proved his courage is without question. Armstrong, who held a 15-second advantage over Ullrich before the stage, attacked immediately after his mishaps, leaving the German trailing as he headed for the finish at Luz-Ardiden. Long-term stage leader Sylvain Chavanel was eventually overhauled near the finish of the 159.5-km stage, Armstrong graciously shaking hands with the exhausted Frenchman as he accelerated past. A struggling Ullrich crossed the finish line high in the Pyrenees in third place behind Mayo -- both 40 seconds behind. Ullrich now trails in the overall standings by one minute seven seconds before Tuesday's rest day. Kazakh Alexander Vinokourov remains in third place, but lost more time on Armstrong and trails by 2:45. The race finishes in Paris on Sunday. |
