PARIS: Lance Armstrong won his hardest but sweetest Tour de France title yesterday, a record-tying fifth straight win that places him alongside the greatest cyclists in the sport.

The 31-year-old cancer survivor and the Spanish great Miguel Indurain are now the only two riders to have won the sport's most grueling and prestigious race five times straight, a record Armstrong plans to break next year.

Savoring his feat on a largely processional final stage past distinguished Paris landmarks, Armstrong sipped from a flute of champagne and toasted his achievement with a "cheers!" as he rode, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey that he had so ardently coveted.

"It's incredible to win again," the Texan said.

The indefatigable Armstrong overcame illness, crashes, dehydration, team and equipment problems and uncharacteristic bad days during the 23-day, 3,427.5-kilometre clockwise slog around France to win by his smallest-ever margin, just 61 seconds over five-time runner-up Jan Ullrich of Germany.

Armstrong, who had never before won by less than 6 minutes, said his fifth title was "definitely the hardest" but "feels better" than the previous four, when he demoralized rivals by dominating in lung-burning mountain ascents and super-speedy time trials.

A staunch perfectionist, Armstrong said the closeness of the victory was already motivating him to come roaring back in 2004.

"The other years I won by 6, 7 minutes. I think it makes it more exciting and sets up an attempt for number six," he said.

"Before the Tour started, I was very confident about winning. But, before next year's Tour, I won't be so confident."

The intense rivalry between Armstrong and Ullrich, the 1997 Tour winner, turned "le Tour" into a gripping festival of cycling after four years when Armstrong was so strong that he was all but assured of victory days before the finish on the Champs Elysees.

But, this year, the Texan only sewed up his win in a rain-soaked time trial on Saturday, the penultimate day, when he managed to stay upright on the slippery road while Ullrich skidded and crashed, ending a squarely fought duel to erase Armstrong's slim lead.

So action-packed was this Tour that Armstrong was prepared even yesterday, on the largely processional final stage, for the unexpected.

"If a plane landed in the race, I wouldn't be surprised," he said before setting off from the Paris suburb of Ville d'Avray on the 152-kilometre ride through streets packed with cheering spectators.

Armstrong, who underwent surgery and stomach-wrenching chemotherapy to cure him of testicular cancer diagnosed in 1996 that had spread to his lungs and brain, said his hard Tour battle had humbled him.

"It makes me appreciate this victory and the other victories more because you realize the best form and the best conditioning are not a given," said Armstrong, who favours the Tour above all other races and prepares meticulously for it.

Agencies via Xinhua

(China Daily 07/28/2003 page8)