His face rarely betraying any emotions his nicknames included Terminator and the Alien as well as the Sun King

His face rarely betraying any emotions (his nicknames included “Terminator” and “the Alien”, as well as the “Sun King” or simply “Big Mig”) the tall Navarran ruled from 1991 to 1995 by crushing the opposition in the first long race against the clock. A farmer – he listed repairing and driving tractors among his hobbies – he gained a reputation of being courteous, unflappable and easy to interview. However, his insistence on avoiding controversy led him to produce singularly dull answers – one French journalist famously wrote that after five years of marriage Indurain’s wife probably still had no idea whom she went to bed with each night.ARMSTONG’S FOUR PREVIOUS TOUR VICTORIES1999Having survived life-threatening cancer, the Texan makes what his fellow American and Tour winner Greg LeMond defined as the “greatest ever sporting comeback in history”. Victorious in the prologue, eight days later the American returns to yellow at the time trial in Metz and then further increases his advantage at Sestri?s in the Alps.1 L Armstrong (US) US Postal Service 91hr 32min 16sec 2 A Z? (Swit) Banesto +7min 37sec 3 F Escartin (Sp) Kelme +10:262000The year of Armstrong’s confirmation, as neither of the Tour’s two former winners, Jan Ullrich or Marco Pantani – missing in 1999 and present in 2000 – prove capable of toppling the American.

Beaten by the Scot David Millar in the opening time trial, Armstrong uses his favourite tactic of making an all-out assault on the first mountain stage, at Lourdes Hautacam, to take the yellow jersey, which he keeps all the way to Paris.1 Armstrong 92:33:08 2 J Ullrich (Ger) Deutsche Telekom +6:02 3 J Beloki (Sp) Festina +10:342001Having let a break of 14 non-contenders take a massive advantage of 35 minutes, Armstrong then hacks through their lead with what he calls his “best-ever” mountain performance, a resounding win at Alpe D’Huez. The yellow jersey becomes Armstrong’s property when he wins again at Pla D’Adet in the Pyrenees.1 Armstrong 86:17:28. 2 Jan Ullrich (Deutsche Telekom) + 6:44 3 Joseba Beloki (ONCE – Eroski) +9:052002After a surprise minor defeat in the Tour’s opening long time trial, Armstrong then pole-axes his rivals with two back-to-back victories in the Pyrenees, maintaining the margins easily on the Ventoux and then scooping first place in the final time trial – for the fourth year running.1 Armstrong 82:05:12 2 J Beloki (ONCE-Eroski) +7min 17sec 3 R Rumsas (Lampre-Daikin) +8:17. Losing a quarter of a minute on the last stage of the centenary Tour de France yesterday was an apt reminder for Lance Armstrong that in all his five consecutive victories he has never had such a tough job to reach Paris in the yellow jersey. The Texan, close to the back, was caught out.The 31-year-old’s overall advantage was cut to 1min 1sec and, given the closeness to the finish, this proved entirely symbolic.

“I’ve had to play a calculating game, like letting some rivals go up the road, and controlling others.” The key to his final victory, he insisted, was “taking that time at Luz-Ardiden When I attacked I was desperate I knew it was the only way I could win the Tour I’ve been lucky as well,” Armstrong admitted. “Nearly going down when Beloki crashed” – not to mention having to ride 100 yards through a field to rejoin the peloton – “was probably the closest moment, but there have been plenty of others. And I’d rather be lucky than good.”The Frenchman Richard Virenque, whose sixth King of the Mountains victory this year puts him on an equal footing with the joint record holders, Lucien Van Impe and Federico Bahamontes, argued that “Armstrong has played with fire, but he’s always known how to win the Tour even when he’s been really rough. He’s remained in control.” Armstrong’s weaknesses, though, have become one of the strengths of the centenary Tour.

As the race grew in interest, television viewing figures rocketed by six per cent to 47.4 of audience shares on the most popular stages.Even with Armstrong finally secure in his yellow jersey since Saturday, the final competition to be decided, the points jersey, helped maintain the tension right down to the last metre of racing yesterday afternoon. Awarded to the most consistent finisher, one Australian, Robbie McEwen, began the final stage in the green leader’s jersey, but another, Baden Cooke, wore it on the Champs-Elys? after just squeezing McEwen out of second place behind the stage winner, Jean Patrick Nazon.If this was an enthralling race, reports on Sunday morning that an unnamed Tour rider had returned a positive dope test for the performance-enhancing substance EPO were an uncomfortable reminder that banned drugs have not disappeared from cycling. Officials were quick to deny that the rider in question was a big hitter, but the news has painful echoes of police arresting the wife of the Lithuanian Raimondas Rumsas, third last year, on the last day of the Tour with a car-boot load of drugs.Armstrong has now drawn equal, as was widely predicted, with the four other winners of the Tour on five occasions – Bernard Hinault, Eddy Merckx, Miguel Indurain and Jacques Anquetil. The three still living – Hinault, Merckx and Indurain – recognised the Texan’s achievement by joining him on the podium in Paris yesterday.”I don’t compare myself to those guys,” Armstrong insisted afterwards. “That’s for people to do in 20 or 30 years’ time, not me.” None the less, should he achieve his aim of taking six wins next July, an all-time record, he may find the comparisons start rather sooner.Alasdair Fotheringham writes for Cycling WeeklyRESULTS AND FINAL STANDINGSSaturday: Stage 19 (individual time trial from Pornic to Nantes, 49km, 30.6 miles) 1 D Millar (GB) Cofidis 54min 5sec 2 T Hamilton (US) Team CSC +9sec 3 L Armstrong (US) US Postal Service +14 4 J Ullrich (Ger) Team Bianchi +25; 5 L Bodrogi (Hun) Quick Step +26; 6 V Ekimov (Rus) US Postal Service +56; 7 V Hugo Pe?Col) US Postal Service +1:00; 8 G Hincapie (US) US Postal Service 1:08; 9 S Chavanel (Fr) Brioches +1:12; 10 M Bruseghin (It) Fassa Bortolo +1:26. Selected: 11 S O’Grady (Aus) Cr?t Agricole +1:38; 16 A Vinokourov (Kazak) Team Telekom s/t; 17 H Zubeldia (Sp) Euskaltel +2:02; 19 I Mayo (Sp) Euskaltel +2:08.Yesterday: Stage 20 (Ville d’Avray to Paris, 152km, 95 miles) 1 J-P Nazon (Fr) Jean Delatour 3hr 38min 49sec 2 B Cooke (Aus) FDJeux 3 R McEwen (Aus) Lotto 4 L Paolini (It) Quick Step; 5 T Hushovd (Nor) Cr?t Agricole; 6 O’Grady; 7 E Zabel (Ger) Telekom; 8 R Vainsteins (Lat) Caldirola; 9 G Glomser (Aut) Saeco; 10 D Nazon (Fr) Brioches.