Lance definitely had the advantage in the last stage. He must have
recovered from all the problems that slowed him down in prior stages.
However as Phil Ligget pointed out, when Ullrich slowed down to let
Lance catch up after his fall, it really hurt Jan since he was no
match for Lance in accelerating after that fall. But if he hadn't
slowed down, and it resulted in his winning the tour, it would have
been a public relations disaster for Ullrich.

It was a much more meaningful sacrifice by Ullrich when he slowed
down than it was when Lance did the same for Ullrich in the past when
Lance was so far ahead that he could afford to do it without any real
cost. Nevertheless, it seems highly likely that Lance would have won
the stage in any case. He was greatly improved and will probably go
on to win the tour. Still, it's no done deal.

--- In roadracingukandireland@yahoogroups.com, mickymallen
<no_reply@y...> wrote:
> well done lance! Yesterday he showed us all what he why he has won
4
> tour's. Ullrich just wasnt strong enough to respond to the
> acceleration. In fact he never has been. Jan has always been a big
> gear rider and has never adopted his style to that of the fast
> pedalling and rapidly accelerating texan. So far in this tour Jan
has
> had the upper hand but yesterday his attack on the Tourmalet LOOKED
> good, but I couldnt help but feel that Lance was bluffing and
> 'pretended' to be struggling. The look on his face wasnt of a man
in
> trouble by Ullrich attack....
>
> For Lance to also recover from a minor crash and a pulled out foot
was
> also admirable. In fact maybe his illness came to his advantage
once
> more....as well as giving him the mental strength which he
obviously
> gained, it could be argued that,had another rider plunged onto the
Top
> tube the way he did,then they wouldnt have been able to ride the
bike,
> let a lone attack!
>
> The BIG question is - IS IT ENOUGH? Can Jan overturn a 1'07"
deficit
> in the TT?
> 2 things could prove crucial looking back at the race after the TT
> 1. Lance's 12 second time bonus could prove vital
> 2. Ullrich's 8 second,3rd place bonus which was hard fought could
be
> vital
>
> We can all remember a tour settled over 8 seconds before. It may
> different when talking about a 1'07" gap but they all said that
Lemond
> wouldnt overturn Fignon's 50second lead too..... Its a
mouthwatering
> prospect :-)
>
> I wouldnt bet too much money against seeing the last of
Vinokourov's
> antics before saturday either!
>
> Micky
>
> I LOVE cycling :-))))))