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Armstrong adds more than minute to lead
6-time champion finishes 2nd in stage 14 in Pyrenees mountains
The Associated Press
Updated: 4:31 p.m. ET July 16, 2005

AX-3 DOMAINES, France - As the Pyrenean peak loomed, the assault Lance Armstrong was bracing for finally came. Here, the six-time champion knew, was a Tour de France moment of truth.

�It�s scary,� he admitted later.

Emotionless behind their wraparound shades, Armstrong�s pink-shirted rivals from the German T-Mobile squad raced into the steep ascent at full pelt. The tactic was simple: Isolate Armstrong by riding so hard that his teammates would be unable to stay with the pace.

It worked. By the time T-Mobile�s racers were spent, Armstrong�s support crew were strewn down the road and his long-tormented challengers, including T-Mobile leader Jan Ullrich, finally had him were they wanted him � alone on a climb. Now, it was man-to-man.

�In that situation you either fight back or you run away,� Armstrong said.

He fought, and end result was familiar: Armstrong came out on top of his main challengers in an epic stage 14, taking another step toward a seventh consecutive Tour victory.

Even without his teammates, who usually lead him up mountains, Armstrong fended off Ullrich, Italian Ivan Basso and others, and dealt out punishment of his own by beating them to the ski station of Ax-3 Domaines, extending his overall lead.

Armstrong placed second, 56 seconds behind Georg Totschnig, the first Austrian since 1931 to win a stage. But he is not a challenger in the overall standings.

Basso, who is, stayed with Armstrong up to Ax-3 Domaines but couldn�t follow his finishing sprint, placing third.

Ullrich was fourth, dropped by Armstrong�s acceleration toward the end.

Overall, Armstrong�s lead over Basso grew to 2 minutes, 46 seconds and to 4:34 over Ullrich. Those advantages could carry Armstrong to victory in Paris on July 24 if h

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