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Armstrong Gains as Tour Reaches Higher Ground (SAMUEL ABT, 7/17/04, NY Times)

With a lot of help from his friends, Lance Armstrong began his bid to take control of the Tour de France, gaining more than two minutes on his major rivals Friday and moving within striking distance of the overall leader.

Armstrong, who is seeking a record sixth title in the Tour, did everything but win the 12th of 20 daily stages, and the first of two in the Pyrenees. He was second in the stage and moved to second from sixth in the overall standing. Perhaps most important, he crossed the finish line far ahead of his most dangerous rival, Jan Ullrich, a German and the leader of T-Mobile.

Ullrich, who won the Tour in 1997, looked stricken as he pedaled up the final section of the last of two major climbs, losing 2 minutes 30 seconds to Armstrong.