Cycling: Armstrong lands hat-trick to join tour greats

PARIS - At long last, cyclist Lance Armstrong got to do some sightseeing.

Riding at a leisurely pace down the Champs Elysees in the final stage of the Tour de France yesterday, the Texan caught a good look at the Arc de Triomphe, the Place de la Concorde and the Louvre museum.

It mattered little that he finished the stretch in 70th place.

He had locked up his third Tour title an entire week earlier in the mountains, where there was no time for taking in the scenery.

The jagged peaks of the Alps flashed by as Armstrong sprinted to the top of L'Alpe d'Huez, leaving his main rival, Jan Ullrich, a huge 1m 59s behind.

Nor was there was opportunity to appreciate the wild beauty of the densely wooded Pyrenees when Armstrong powered up a gruelling climb to to cement his lead.

He won the stage, taking the leader's yellow jersey, which he kept all the way to Paris. He looked up to the sky and dedicated his victory to former team-mate Fabio Casartelli, who was killed in a crash there in the 1995 Tour.

Back on flat ground, it was head down and eyes on the road once again in the final time trial, never mind the green rolling hills of central France.

The sacrifice was worth it. Armstrong built up a lead of 6m 44s over Ullrich in the overall standings, an unbeatable advantage that only accident or sickness in the final days could have undone.

So there was no need for extra exertion yesterday, and Armstrong crossed the finish line with the main pack, lost but for his bright yellow jersey among his colourfully clad fellow riders.

"It's the best feeling of the last three [wins]," Armstrong said in faltering French after finishing the last of 20 legs.

"As always I am happy to finally arrive, to finally finish the Tour. It's a special feeling."

With the majestic Arc de Triomphe behind him, Armstrong stood at attention during the playing of The Star-Spangled Banner and smiled with satisfaction as he savoured an end to three weeks of gruelling racing.

The only hitch came when he tried to take a lap of honour: the Texas flag he was waving got caught briefly in his bike chain. He grinned sheepishly as he awaited help, then continued up the Champs Elysees as tens of thousands of spectators looked on.

French fans, who favour their own cycling heroes and find Armstrong somewhat distant, cheered his achievement.

"He's untouchable, it's true," said fan Dominique Maquet.

Armstrong's ride to victory had been in some ways the most impressive of all three wins, because this time the field that he crushed was in top form, especially Ullrich.

"I don't know what I should do," Ullrich said after losing at L'Alpe d'Huez.

"I did everything well - except for Lance. I'm in super shape. Maybe he will have a breakdown."

It did not happen, and yesterday, Armstrong became the only American to win three straight Tours. Greg LeMond also won three times, but with a two-year gap between his first and second titles.

The Tour record is five titles, but for now, Armstrong said he was not interested.

"I'm not chasing a record," he said. "I never thought I would get to this point.

"It was a surprise for me even to make it back to the sport," he added, referring to his comeback from advanced testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain.

Czech rider Jan Svorada won yesterday's stage, the 20th of a more than 3400km journey through France and Belgium.

With Ullrich in second place overall and Spaniard Joseba Beloki third, the finish was identical to that of last year.

It was only the second time in Tour history that the same riders have finished 1-2-3 in consecutive years.

* Wellington cyclist Chris Jenner planned to "cruise around a few bars" in Paris as his personal reward for finishing the Tour de France.

Jenner finished 52nd on the final stage, which earned him 139th overall, 3h 38m 21s behind Armstrong.

Only 144 of the 191 starters completed the gruelling, three-week tour.

"I'm pretty relieved it is all over," Jenner said.

"Time-wise, my effort doesn't sound flash, but it's been a great experience and I've really enjoyed it.

"If I had to ride the bike tomorrow I could, but I've given it everything and to be honest I don't want to see another bike for four or five days. Tonight is the time for a few beers."

His French team, Credit Agricole, finished 14th out of 21 in the team's classification, with American Bobby Julich their highest-placed rider at 18th.

- AGENCIES