Armstrong powers back into yellow
As has become traditional for Armstrong, the Texan used the first mountaintop finish of the 'Grand Boucle' to stamp his authority on the peloton and, while it was predictable, it was no less impressive.
Only Iles Balears rider Alejandro Valverde was able to stay with Armstrong as far as the finishing line at the Courcheval ski resort and the young Spaniard was ushered through for his first stage win in the Tour.
Valverde was rewarded with a leap up the general classification from 72nd to fifth and on his way he passed most of the men who had been expected to challenge Armstrong in his attempt to win a seventh and final Tour.
T-Mobile's Jan Ullrich 1997 winner and three-time runner-up is now more than four minutes off the pace and Alexandre Vinokourov, third two years ago, will start today over six minutes adrift.
Meanwhile, Valverde's compatriots Roberto Heras and Iban Mayo are so far behind as to be inconsequential for the next week-and-a-half.
Holland's Michael Rasmussen Sunday's stage winner and currently in the King of the Mountains' polka-dot jersey is second, 38 seconds behind Armstrong. Italian Team CSC rider Ivan Basso remains a threat just over two minutes further back in third.
Armstrong's team were certainly rolling yesterday as they set a punishing pace at the front of the peloton from the moment they reached the foot of the Courcheval, where the road rises 22.2 kilometres at an average gradient of 6.2%.
The casualties emerged quickly, with big names like Mayo, Heras, Bobby Julich and Santiago Botero spat out the back of the peloton even before matters got serious.
Discovery were still motoring at the front, with Armstrong looking strong, although Ullrich and Vinokourov were lurking on his wheel.
As the American's team stepped up the speed, however, white patches began spreading around the eyes of both T-Mobile riders before first Vinokourov then Ullrich found themselves drifting away.
An exhausted Vinokourov tried to put on a brave face but it is hard to escape the feeling he will do well just to get on the podium this year.
Armstrong overtook a breakaway group including the 38-year-old 1997 world champion Laurent Brochard which had attacked with just six kilometres of the 181km stage gone.
Basso was dropped before the summit, which meant a straight fight between the 25-year-old Valverde and Armstrong for the stage win.
The American later professed himself disappointed at having lost out at the line.
However, the stage looked a lot like a gift to the Spaniard.
