...winning a stage that ended atop the mountain in southern France. In the final stretch, he held back to let Italy's Marco Pantani win. The Texan said he was offering a "gift" to his charismatic opponent -- who wasn't a title threat -- while...

...sport: Jan Ullrich of Germany, Alex Zulle of Switzerland, Laurent Jalabert of France and Armstrong's nemesis, Marco Pantani of Italy. Instead of racing for trade teams, as they normally do, cyclists will be wearing the jerseys of their...

...Jan Ullrich, who had questioned whether Armstrong really was the best cyclist in 1999, when Ullrich and 1998 winner Marco Pantani of Italy didn't compete. "Armstrong is a worthy champion. He was the strongest man, and he met our every attack...