Jan Ullrich threw down the gauntlet to Lance Armstrong in today's 18th stage of the Tour de France.
The German, winner of the Tour in 1997, forced Armstrong - the yellow jersey leader - into action when he took part in an intermediate sprint early in the 203.5-km stage from Bordeaux to St Maixent l'Ecole.
Green jersey leader Robbie McEwen won the sprint, held at 50 km, with Ullrich second and Armstrong third. As a result, Ullrich grabbed a four-second time bonus while Armstrong took two seconds.
Ullrich now trails four-times champion Armstrong by 65 seconds.
Spain's Pablo Lastras won today's stage.
The riders face a 49-km time-trial tomorrow. The race finishes in Paris on Sunday.
