| | Associated Press
FREIBURG, Germany -- Defending champion Lance Armstrong
finished back in the pack Thursday but easily kept the overall lead
with three days remaining in the Tour de France.
Italy's Salvatore Commesso won the 18th stage, fending off
Alexander Vinokourov of Germany's Deutsche Telekom. France's Jacky
Durand of Lotto came in third.
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Two women wave as the peloton passes by during the 18th stage from Lausanne, Switzerland to Freiburg, Germany. |
Armstrong rode steadily with a large pack of racers as the
cyclists crossed Switzerland under sunny skies into the lush green
hills of Germany's Black Forest region, where many of the tens of
thousands of fans held up Deutsche Telekom flags.
Armstrong kept his lead of 5 minutes, 37 seconds over his
closest competitor, Germany's Jan Ullrich of Deutsche Telekom.
Commesso and Vinokourov battled for the last 12 miles, with
Commesso outlasting the rider from Kazakstan for his second stage
victory in the past two years. Commesso was visibly moved by his
victory, blowing ecstatic kisses to the crowd.
The 155 miles from Lausanne, Switzerland, to Freiburg was the
longest stage on this year's Tour. On Friday, the riders face a
36-mile time trial from Freiburg to Mulhouse, France, before
preparing to head to Paris, where the race ends on Sunday.
On Wednesday, Armstrong had a comfortable ride on the 17th
stage, moving closer to retaining his champion's crown. He finished
35th, clocking the same time as stage winner Erik Dekker of the
Netherlands. Jan Ullrich, the only rider with a remote chance of
catching Armstrong, had the same time and finished 29th.
In the Tour de France, cyclists crossing the end line of a stage
in a group are all given the same finishing time, although the
order of crossing is noted.
After Wednesday's race, Ullrich had conceded that if Armstrong
keeps up his current form, he will be hard to beat.
"It's almost inconceivable that Lance Armstrong will lose,"
Ullrich said. "He is very strong. I of course will compete as hard
as I can, but realistically, the battle is for who comes second." | |
ALSO SEE
Armstrong's hometown preparing for celebration
Stage Eighteen results
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Salvatore Commesso beats out Alexander Vinokourov to win Stage 18.
avi: 1337 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Stage 18 course map
RealVideo: 28.8
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