Vinokourov turning up the heat on Armstrong

LANCE ARMSTRONG came within seconds of losing the race leader’s yellow jersey on the 14th stage of the Tour de France yesterday after a gruelling 191.5km of riding between St Girons and Loudonvielle.

Armstrong, who is bidding for a fifth consecutive Tour crown, came under attack from Telekom rider Alexandre Vinokourov, who started the day in third place overall at just over a minute behind, on the day’s final climb.

Vinokourov, the 29-year-old Kazakh who has won the Paris-Nice, the Tour of Switzerland and the Amstel Gold Race this year, came in sixth and was only 18 seconds away from pulling on the race leader’s jersey.