Armstrong leads Tour into tough Alpine stage featuring race's highest peak

BOURG D'OISANS, France (AP) — Lance Armstrong led Tour de France riders up the final Alpine stage Thursday, the most punishing mountain trek so far in the three-week showcase race.

The 32-year-old Texan, inching closer to a record sixth Tour win, and others were to labor up five big climbs, including the grueling Col de la Madeleine, the highest peak in the Tour at a staggering 6,600 feet.

The 17th of 20 stages, a 127.08-mile slog from Bourg d'Oisans to Le Grand-Bornand, features three category 1 climbs — but the Col de la Madeleine is so tough it doesn't even have a rating.

Before the stage began, Spain's Roberto Heras, a former teammate of Armstrong, withdrew from the Tour after struggling Wednesday in a grueling individual time trial.

Heras, who left Armstrong's U.S. Postal-Berry Floor team to become leader of Spanish team Liberty Seguros, was the latest top contender to drop out. Others included American Tyler Hamilton, Basque rider Iban Mayo and Spain's Haimar Zubeldia.

During Wednesday's time trial, Armstrong was booed, spat at and insulted, but shrugged off hostile sections of the crowd packing the road to win the stage — moving another step closer to cycling history.

Armstrong knows some would prefer that he didn't wear the overall leader's yellow jersey in Paris on July 25.

”That motivates me more than anything,” he said. ”It certainly doesn't work against me. I'm not concerned about them.”

Armstrong extended his overall lead in winning the 9.6-mile clock race, as hundreds of thousands of fans snaked up the mountainside, standing perilously close to the riders.

The tense atmosphere, heightened by about 4.9 miles of unfenced roads, reached its peak when some spectators spit at and verbally abused Armstrong.

”It's ugly. But this is big-time sport,” he said. ”People are emotional and excited. It doesn't take away from my desire to win. I think it puts a little fuel on the fire.

Armstrong complained about some German fans, saying they were ”horrible.” It was the first time that Tour organizers ran a time trial on the legendary climb.

It likely will take more than unruly fan behavior to stop Armstrong. Only a drastic lapse in his form would offer those chasing the champion a glimmer of hope.

Armstrong has been peerless in climbs, winning three of the four mountain stages and finishing second once. Only Italy's Ivan Basso has been able to keep up, but Armstrong powered past him Wednesday.

Jan Ullrich, the 1997 Tour winner and the last rider to beat the Texan in a time trial, was easily beaten, settling for second place 61 seconds back. The German has finished runner-up five times in the Tour, including three times behind Armstrong.

Overall, Armstrong has a commanding lead of 3:48 over Basso. Ullrich improved to fourth, but trails by 7:55.

Germany's Andreas Kloden, a teammate of Ullrich on the T-Mobile squad, was third overall, 5:03 back. He placed third on Wednesday, 1:41 behind Armstrong.

Armstrong seemingly has the Tour all wrapped up, but typically, he is not thinking that way.

”I try not to. I'm real careful about counting to the number six,” he said. ”I'll do that on the final lap on the Champs-ElysDees.”