Armstrong aces Alps' time trials

L'ALPE D'HUEZ, France - Riding through a frenzied sea of fans, Lance Armstrong dominated his rivals Wednesday and extended his overall lead in the Tour de France by winning a time trial high in the Alps.

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The five-time champion finished the 9.6-mile climb through 21 hairpin turns to the L'Alpe d'Huez ski station in 39 minutes, 41 seconds - the only rider to finish in less than 40 minutes. It was the first time Tour organizers set up an individual race against the clock on the legendary climb.

"I wanted it bad because of the history around this mountain and the importance to the race. All in all, it was a very important day," Armstrong said. "Lots of emotion, lots of adrenaline."

He was 61 seconds faster than second-place Jan Ullrich and actually passed his closest challenger, Ivan Basso, even though the Italian started two minutes ahead of the Texan.

"Lance is strong in the mountains," said Basso, who was eighth Wednesday, 2:23 behind, and now trails by 3:48 in the overall standings.

It was Armstrong's second consecutive stage victory, third during this Tour, and 19th of his career, plus two team time trials. At this point, it seems only a disaster would stand in the way of a record sixth consecutive title when the cycling marathon ends in Paris on Sunday.

Behind Basso, Andreas Kloden is third overall, 5:03 back, after arriving third Wednesday, 1:41 behind Armstrong. His teammate Ullrich is fourth overall, 7:55 off Armstrong's pace.

No one came close to Armstrong's performance Wednesday. Wearing black shoes, black socks and his coveted yellow jersey, which he reclaimed by winning Tuesday's first stage in the Alps, Armstrong was relentless. Despite the steep climb, he rode at an average speed of 14.5 mph.

As overall leader, Armstrong had the advantage of being the last of the 157 cyclists to start the race against the clock. That enabled him to measure himself against his opponents - notably Basso - as he climbed.

Wednesday's action16th stage: A 9.6-mile individual time trial from Bourg-d'Oisans up the L'Alpe d'HuezWinner: Lance Armstrong, United States, US Postal-Berry Floor, in 39 minutes, 41 seconds; he extended his lead over Italian Ivan Bosso to 3 minutes, 48 seconds.Next Stage: Today's stage is one of the toughest. It includes five climbs on a 126.8-mile course from Bourg-d'Oisans to Le Grand-Bornand.