Lanced

As he's done for six straight Tours de France, Armstrong today destroyed his main competitors, using the first serious Alpine stage to overturn the general classification and open big time gaps to Basso (2:40), Valverde (3:16), Mancebo (4:00), Ullrich (4:02), Kloeden (4:16), and Landis (4:16). The champion's team did most of the work, slowly but steadily whittling the peloton down to just four on the final stretch of the climb to Courcheval and setting Armstrong up for the stage win, which instead went to Valverde. Conversely, the T-Mobiles collapsed: none of their main riders - Ullrich, Kloeden, Vinokourov - were part of the endgame. It's too early to say that the Tour's sewn up, but Armstrong's and Discovery's attacks today should put some fear into the rest of the GC. Now, Armstrong will be questing for an individual stage win. Where better than the Galibier?