HAPPINESS IS JAN ULRICH IN YOUR REARVIEW MIRROR

Armstrong routs rivals in mountain climb (John Leicester, 7/21/2003, Associated Press)

Lance Armstrong routed two rivals in a riveting climb in the Tour de France on Monday, recovering from a fall to stamp his authority on the race after two difficult weeks.

His victory in the misty mountains of the Pyrenees bolstered his chances of equaling Miguel Indurain's record of five straight Tour victories.

Jan Ullrich, the 1997 Tour winner, is now 67 seconds back overall, giving Armstrong a more comfortable lead with five stages left. Ullrich, grimacing near the finish, started the day trailing by just 15 seconds. [...]

The fall came with about 6 miles left in the 99-mile stage. Armstrong slammed to the road after a spectator's outstretched bag caught his handlebars.

He grazed his left elbow and dirtied the left shoulder of his yellow jersey when he drove into a spectator. He then climbed back on his bike and got back in the race.

The Texan also grazed his left hip but was otherwise unhurt, said Jogi Muller, spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service team.

''After the fall, I had a big, big rush of adrenaline,'' Armstrong said. He said he then told himself, ''Lance if you want to win the Tour de France, do it today.'' [...]

Ullrich had to swerve to avoid the crash. He waited with other riders while Armstrong and Mayo got back on their bikes and caught up.

''Jan is a good guy, he's an honorable guy,'' Armstrong said.

Normally we'd joke about the baseball card jamming in his spokes, but such honor and drama is enough, despite it being a mere bike race and located in France, to make us care. Ride well, men. Posted by Orrin Judd at July 21, 2003 4:38 PM