Armstrong Keeps Lead in Tour De France
July 20, 2003
Lance Armstrong kept his lead in the Tour de France on Sunday, holding off Jan Ullrich and Alexandre Vinokourov in the Pyrenees.
Armstrong remained 15 seconds ahead of Ullrich in the overall standings. The German had said Friday he intended to take the yellow jersey from Armstrong.
“Today, I feel better,” Armstrong said.
The 14th stage was especially demanding, a 119-mile trek featuring six 3,300-foot mountain climbs.
Vinokourov powered away from Armstrong in the last climb and nearly took the overall lead. But Armstrong then managed to gain ground in a rapid descent to the finish.
By the end of the race, the Texan’s overall lead over Vinokourov had shrunk to 18 seconds. At the start of the day, the Kazak had been 61 seconds behind.