They may have been the most critical moments in the Tour de France. When the spills were over, the racers back on their bikes and the precious seconds added up, it was Armstrong who was poised to make history. Barring a catastrophe on Sunday, during what is largely a ceremonial parade into Paris, the 31-year-old American would again win the tour, joining Spain’s Miguel Indurain as the only men to capture cycling’s premier event five years in a row.
Since he returned to the Tour in 1999 following his recovery from testicular cancer, Armstrong had never endured such a ferocious challenge. When the tour’s third and final week began, his lead over his 29-year-old German rival had dwindled to 15 seconds. Armstrong seemed tired, even listless. “Something is not going right and there’s nothing I can do about it,” he told reporters.
On Monday the rivals were neck-and-neck into the last climb when Armstrong’s bike hooked a spectator’s bag, sending him crashing to the ground. Ullrich eased up to allow Armstrong to rejoin the race, the same courtesy Lance had extended him during the 2001 Tour. Armstrong flew past his German rival, winning the day’s leg easily and extending his lead to more than a minute.
Still, in four previous triumphs Armstrong had never headed into the final, critical time trial with less than a 5-minute lead. So a 1-minute 5-second margin hardly seemed secure, especially given that Ullrich had whipped him in an earlier trial. Despite a Saturday downpour, Ullrich set out at a record clip and was gaining on Armstrong. Then, with just six miles to go, Ullrich crashed on a turn, his hopes skittering with him across the road.
Armstrong, apprised of Ullrich’s misfortune, navigated a safe course. Crossing the finish line, he flashed a smile and pumped his fist into the air, in an early victory celebration. And the cautious Texan, known as a man who rarely gets too far ahead of himself, was already looking toward 2004. “I’ll be back next year,” he told reporters in France, “and I’m not coming back to get second.”
