Pantani wins 12th stage, but Armstrong extends overall lead

MONT VENTOUX, France - With the 12th and toughest leg of the Tour de France successfully completed, Lance Armstrong has the title in sight.

Armstrong has a 4-minute, 55-second lead after finishing second to Marco Pantani in Thursday's 93-mile stage to Mont Ventoux.

The 28-year-old Texan has already proved himself as the most powerful rider in the mountains - where the tour is won and lost - with two second-place finishes.

''The first part of the race has gone really well. But there is still a long way to go,'' Armstrong said. ''There is no way the tour is already won.''

Pantani isn't so sure.

''Armstrong is a great competitor,'' he said. ''He is in such a good position it is difficult to see him being stopped.''

The mountain stages aren't over. On Saturday, there is a 155-mile trek into the Alps, with climbs to follow on Sunday and Tuesday.

But the way Armstrong powered away from his main rivals on Thursday makes him appear capable of stretching his lead over Jan Ullrich, his only serious rival in the overall standings.

Armstrong was the only racer who could keep up with 1998 tour winner Pantani after the Italian rider made up a gap of more than 30 seconds late in the race.

Knowing the job was done, Armstrong held back at the end to preserve energy for the rest of the race.

Armstrong had no intention of stealing the glory from the popular Italian, having ensured a bigger lead over Ullrich, who was exhausted on the slope.

Overwhelmed by suspicions over drug taking, Pantani, the only rider to have won the Tour de France and the Italian Giro in the same year, nearly quit the sport two months ago.

Pantani didn't want to defend his tour title last year after being thrown out of the 1999 Giro because of a positive drug test.

But the rider whose bandana and earrings have earned him the nickname ''The Pirate'' remains highly respected in the sport.

''In the mind of a lot of people, Pantani is the best climber in the world, and for him a win is important. I will forget stage wins for now,'' Armstrong said.

'A new tour has begun for me with the possibility of a good placing in Paris,'' the Italian said.

Team managers have said all along that the rider who emerged as leader at Ventoux, 62 miles north of Marseille, would still be wearing the yellow jersey as leader on the final dash along the Champs-Elysees on July 23.

That's Armstrong. And Thursday's racing did nothing to dispel the predictions.

''It was a good day for us,'' Armstrong said. ''There were two stories. I want to thank the team. The second was the wind. It was so windy today that I am glad it is finished.''

With an estimated 300,000 fans cheering on the cyclists in the final 13-mile climb, Armstrong always looked in control, with his U.S. Postal Service teammates more aggressive than during a disappointing performance in a climb in the Pyrenees on Monday.

The 12th stage was regarded as the toughest of the 2000 tour, and the climb up Mont Ventoux was unforgiving. Just 14 miles from the finish line, riders are only about 900 feet above sea level. By the end, they are more than 6,000 feet above it.

''It is the hardest climb of this year's tour,'' Armstrong said before the race. ''It is very special, very mystical. It is so hard that if you are good, you can make a big difference.''

Mont Ventoux's special place in tour history added spice to Armstrong's bid for consecutive wins.

The peak has witnessed some of the 97-year-old race's greatest climbing - and one of its greatest tragedies.

In 1967, British cyclist Tom Simpson, cheered on by fans under a burning sun, collapsed and died near the peak. Tests showed his blood contained amphetamines, a stark reminder that drug problems are nothing new to cycling.

As well as being the toughest leg, the course to Mont Ventoux was perhaps the most gorgeous of the three-week tour, with cyclists passing miles of lavender fields and lemon trees before the final steep climb.

The race continued Friday with the 13th stage, a 115-mile course from Avignon to Draguignan.