Clock Is Ticking

There may be light rain. There should be wind at their backs.

Jan Ullrich will be riding with some momentum. He gained two seconds on Lance Armstrong Friday.

Armstrong says that wasn’t a big deal. He says this Tour de France “isn’t going to be decided by two seconds.”

Ullrich says he tested himself -- and passed -- by attacking in an intermediate sprint during Friday’s 18th stage from Bordeaux to Saint-Maixent-l’Ecole. Armstrong says there’s no point to taking tests now. He says he feels good, he feels fresh, and, in a laying down of the gauntlet, says, “I’ve raced very well in the last time trial over the last four years.”

What Armstrong means is that he has not lost one.

In a Tour as close as any since Greg LeMond beat Laurent Fignon during the final time trial in 1989, Armstrong heads into today’s 30-mile race with a 65-second lead over Ullrich.

A time trial is man against the clock. The riders line up and take off in inverse order of their overall standing. Armstrong will start last on the straight, flat course from Pornic to Nantes. He will certainly remember that in this Tour’s first time trial, on a hilly course in intense heat, Ullrich beat him by 96 seconds. Armstrong suffered from dehydration so severe that day he lost 13 pounds and needed two days to regain his legs.

It was also during that time trial that Ullrich set his goal higher -- altering his plan to use this Tour merely to get into shape to win in 2004. “Now I change my mind,” Ullrich said after he had slashed Armstrong’s lead into a manageable chunk of time. “Now I think about winning.”

History is heavy for Armstrong. The 31-year-old cancer survivor from Austin, Texas, is trying to join Spain’s Miguel Indurain as only the second man to win the world’s premier cycling event five times in a row. Only four men -- Indurain, Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault of France and Eddy Merckx of Belgium -- have won five Tours.

The burden of redemption is heavy for Ullrich, a 29-year-old from Rostock in the former East Germany. After winning the 1997 Tour, at a time Armstrong was undergoing chemotherapy treatments for cancer that had started in his testicles and spread to his lungs and brain, Ullrich spent the ensuing years chasing fun in nightclubs and bars as much as at the Tour.

He has finished second four times and won a silver medal at the 2000 Olympics, but Ullrich missed last year’s Tour. His absence was the result of a failed drug test, which occurred after he had knee surgery. During his recovery from the surgery, he had been involved in a drunk-driving accident and acknowledged taking recreational drugs one night in a club.

Unlike this year’s race, the final 1989 time trial was on the last day on the ride to Paris.

LeMond, the 1986 winner who had come back in 1989 after suffering a gunshot wound during a hunting accident, trailed French hero Fignon by 50 seconds.

Riding with incredible focus and unmatched energy, LeMond overcame Fignon and won the Tour by eight seconds. Tour race director Jean-Marie Leblanc has not staged a time trial on the final day since.

A year later, LeMond didn’t take the leader’s yellow jersey until he outraced Italy’s Claudio Chiappucci during the final time trial.

According to Tour records, only five of the 90 races have been decided by less than a minute.

And while there is an ending stage Sunday, a 97.96-mile ride into Paris, it would be nearly impossible for anyone to successfully attack the leader. Neither Armstrong’s United States Postal Service team nor Bianchi, Ullrich’s team, would allow the kind of breakaway the man in second place would need, even to make up a few seconds.

Ullrich tried to make a statement Friday. About 600 meters from the finish line of an intermediate sprint -- where men aiming for the green jersey awarded to the points leader can earn extra points -- Ullrich bolted, hoping to earn bonus seconds and cut into Armstrong’s lead.

Armstrong responded quickly. Ullrich finished second to Australia’s Robbie McEwen and earned four bonus seconds. Armstrong followed in third place, earning two seconds.

Armstrong and Ullrich then stuck together until the finish. The 126.2-mile 18th stage was won by Spain’s Pablo Lastras in 4 hours 3 minutes 18 seconds. His speed averaged 30.962 mph, the second-fastest road stage in Tour history.

USPS team director Johan Bruyneel described Armstrong to reporters as “happy.” Bruyneel said, “His morale is good. I think he’ll do a good time trial.”

Neither of the leaders was in a mood to chat. They have a big day coming.

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Tour de France

Leaders after the 18th stage (Bordeaux to Saint-Maixent-l’Ecole, 126.2 miles). Today’s stage, an individual time trial from Pornic to Nantes (30.43 miles). Sunday’s final stage is from Ville d’Avray to Paris, Champs-Elysees (97.96 miles):

*--* 1. Lance Armstrong 79 hours 7 minutes 49 seconds 2. Jan Ullrich 1 minute 5 seconds behind 3. Alexandre Vinokourov 2 minutes 47 seconds behind

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*--* At a Glance Highlights of the 18th stage: * Stage: Bordeaux to Saint-Maixent-L’Ecole, a 126.2-mile flat route ending in west-central France. * Winner: Pablo Lastras of Spain, in 4 hours 3 minutes 18 seconds. Lastras averaged 30.962 mph, making it the second-fastest Tour road stage ever. * How others fared: 1997 champion Jan Ullrich (who finished 24th) and four-time defending champion Lance Armstrong (45th) finished in the main pack. Iban Mayo of Spain was 39th, with Alexandre Vinokourov of Kazakhstan 46th. All were 24:05 behind Lastras. Ullrich sliced two seconds off Armstrong’s overall lead by collecting a time bonus in an intermediate sprint Friday. * Yellow jersey: Armstrong keeps the overall lead, with a total time of 79:07:49 -- 1:05 ahead of second-place Ullrich with two stages left. * Quote of the day: “I don’t think that two seconds is going to win the Tour.” -- Armstrong, reacting to Ullrich’s time gain. * Next stage: Today’s 19th stage is a 30.43-mile individual time trial from Pornic to Nantes, where riders race against the clock. Ullrich beat Armstrong by 96 seconds the Tour’s first time trial. * On the Web: For live updates of each day’s Tour de France stage, complete standings, cyclist profiles and course information, go to latimes.com/tour *--*

*--* * The Leaders: 1. Lance Armstrong, U.S....79:07:49 2. Jan Ullrich, Germany...1:05 behind 3. A. Vinokourov, Kazakhstan...2:47 behind 4. Haimar Zubeldia, Spain...5:18 behind 5. Iban Mayo, Spain...5:27 behind

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