TOUR DE FRANCE Resurgent Armstrong stretches overall lead

The Texan finished the race 40 seconds ahead of his major rival, Jan Ullrich.
LUZ-ARDIDEN, France (AP) -- Lance Armstrong routed his rivals in a dramatic climb in the Tour de France today, recovering from a fall to stamp his authority on the race after two difficult weeks.
Armstrong's win in the misty mountains of the Pyrenees bolstered his chances of equaling Miguel Indurain's record of five straight Tour victories.
Armstrong, slumped over his bike after his ride, crossed the line 40 seconds ahead of Jan Ullrich, whom he left far behind on the punishing ascent.
The stage win was Armstrong's first of this Tour, meaning he retained the overall lead with just five stages left.
Alexandre Vinokourov had been just 18 seconds behind Armstrong. But the Kazak cyclist was left flailing, 2 minutes, 7 seconds back.
Armstrong won after recovering from fall just 2.5 miles into the climb to Luz-Ardiden. He grazed his left elbow and stained his overall leader's yellow jersey. Then he got back on his bike and got back in the race.
"After the fall, I had a big, big rush of adrenaline," Armstrong said. He then told himself, "Lance if you want to win the Tour de France, do it today."
Second wind
Where just days ago Armstrong had appeared haggard and drained, today he looked like the four-time champion of old. His win left Ullrich, the 1997 Tour winner, 67 seconds back overall. Ullrich, grimacing as he neared the finish, started the day just 15 seconds behind.
Vinokourov, his mouth gaping in exhaustion, dropped behind 2:45 overall, essentially reducing the Tour to a duel between Armstrong and Ullrich before the finish in Paris on Sunday.
Armstrong fell after apparently hitting a spectator on the side of the winding ascent. Armstrong said he was partly to blame because he was riding too close to the edge of the road. Spain's Iban Mayo also fell after crashing into Armstrong as he lay on the tarmac.
The drama didn't stop there. A few seconds after getting back on his bike, Armstrong nearly fell again when his right foot slipped out of his pedal.
Armstrong needed to build his lead going into Saturday's time trial, which could prove to be the deciding stage of this centennial Tour.
Ullrich was devastating in the last time trial Friday, taking a 96-second chunk out of Armstrong's overall lead and dealing the Texan a blow that until today appeared to have been nearly irreparable.
With just 15 seconds to spare over Ullrich at the start of the day, Armstrong understood the importance of the climb to Luz-Ardiden.
"I knew it was a very big day for me and the Tour de France," he said.
The tens of thousands of spectators who lined the route to the ski resort cloaked in mist and clouds were anticipating an outstanding race -- and it exceeded expectations.
Never had Armstrong been so closely shadowed by his rivals since he first won the Tour in 1999. Almost from the beginning, he had problems. He was sick before the Tour; he was involved in a crash on the second day; he failed to shine in the Alps. Then came the fall.
"I think it was a spectator's bag. It was also my fault for riding too much to the right of the road, it's too bad," Armstrong said.
The crashed seemed to suggest Armstrong's luck had finally run out. But it could prove to be the deciding moment of this year's race.