Armstrong consolidates Tour de France lead

Overall leader Lance Armstrong won the 17th stage of the Tour de France from Bourg d'Oisans to Le Grand Bornand to retain the…

Overall leader Lance Armstrong won the 17th stage of the Tour de France from Bourg d'Oisans to Le Grand Bornand to retain the yellow jersey this afternoon.

Armstrong, seeking a record sixth successive Tour victory, finished just ahead of Andreas Kloeden of Germany with Jan Ullrich third on the mountain stage in the Alps that included five climbs, including the classic Madeleine Pass.

The victory was Armstrong's fourth in five mountain stages of this year's Tour and only served to emphasise his dominance over his closest rivals. He finished second in the other mountain stage to Italy's Ivan Basso, who is second overall.

Armstrong was part of a group of 18 riders who broke away from the peloton to ride down Christophe Moreau, Richard Virenque and Gilberto Simoni - who at one stage led by more than five minutes - in the category one climb up the Col de la Croix Fry in the final 20 kilometres.