Vegetarians should steer clear of the heart of France's beef country. A few metres behind the finish line here the local Charolais farmers barbecued one of their finest beasts over a vast oak fire and served up bloody chunks to the Tour entourage in the interests of promoting the region's boeufs. Halfway along yesterday's 38-mile time-trial course, in the village of Couze, a vast placard proclaimed "To pedal well, eat Charolais".
Once upon a time bleu (virtually raw) steak was an integral part of a cyclist's diet, usually eaten for breakfast, although dieticians now hold that it is too rich. Whether or not Lance Armstrong had taken the advice from the roadside, he pedalled superlatively to take his fourth stage win this year.
No overall winner has managed that many since Laurent Fignon in 1984, when "the Professor" was in a state of grace he never repeated.
There was no final twist in Armstrong's battle with Jan Ullrich, and no repeat of their tense fight in last year's closing time-trial in Alsace. The German was never in the hunt and finished one minute 39 seconds behind in third place, pushing his overall deficit on Armstrong to six minutes 44 seconds.
"I have to tell you I have never felt so good in a time-trial," the Texan said afterwards. In temperatures that melted the road at the finish and in oppressive humidity, he estimated he had lost a kilo in weight and had drunk "five bottles of mineral water in five minutes" after sprinting in.
Clad in an aerodynamic helmet with the Stars and Stripes on each side and his name on the top, he turned the pedals with the same dizzying speed he had shown in the mountains.
By contrast Ullrich was laboured, pulling his foot out of his pedal at one point as he attempted to maintain speed. The French describe Armstrong's suppleness as "pedalling in oil", but Ullrich was pedalling in treacle.
As an illustration of one rider's domination of the race, there were shades of Miguel Indurain's victory in Blois in 1992 when he destroyed the second rider overall, Claudio Chiappucci, on a course similar to this one in its mix of broad rolling roads, twisting lanes and testing drags.
Armstrong's win may come to be seen in the same light as Indurain's at Blois: a definitive performance. Yesterday he described it as "something very, very special" and added: "I'm happy, very very happy. I think I'm at the highest level of my career. I never thought I would feel the way I feel today."
The Texan has postponed the attempt he had planned - with the controversial doctor Michele Ferrari's help - on Chris Boardman's one-hour record, but his average speed of close to 31mph yesterday indicates that the Briton's distance of 30.9 miles should be well within his reach.
Tomorrow on the Champs ElysΘes, Joseba Beloki should repeat his third place of last year behind Armstrong and Ullrich, after yesterday overtaking the Kazakh Andrei Kivilev, who set off three minutes ahead of Ullrich and was overhauled by the German in the closing kilometres. Behind, in something akin to a handicap race, Armstrong was gaining equally inexorably on the German.
The serious stuff in this Tour is now largely over: today's and tomorrow's runs into the Paris suburbs and the centre of the capital respectively offer little apart from the chance for the Italians to make good their disastrous showing with at least one stage win, and for Stuart O'Grady and Erik Zabel to resolve the battle for the green jersey. What opposition there was for Armstrong is now like the Charolais at yesterday's finish: done to a turn.
Stage 18
(Montlucon to Saint Amand Montrond) 61km time trial:
1 L Armstrong (US) US Postal Service 1: 14.16
2 I G De Galdeano (Spa) ONCE-Eroski at 1.24
3 J Ullrich (Ger) Telekom 1.39
4 D Rous (Fra) Bonjour 2.25
5 M Serrano (Spa) ONCE-Eroski
6 J Beloki (Spa) ONCE-Eroski 2.32
7 B Julich (USA) Credit Agricole 2.37
8 S Botero (Col) Kelme-Costa Blanca 2.43
9 A Vinokourov (Kaz) Telekom 2.57
10 JE Gutierrez (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca 3.0
OVERALL STANDINGS
1 L Armstrong (US) US Post Service 79: 07.33
2 J Ullrich (Ger) Telekom at 6.44 mins
3 J Beloki (Spa) ONCE-Eroski 9.05
4 A Kivilev (Kaz) Cofidis 9.53
5 IG De Galdeano (Spa) ONCE-Eroski 13.28
6 F Simon (Fra) Bonjour 17.22
7 O Sevilla (Spa) Kelme-Costa Blanca 18.30
8 S Botero (Col) Kelme-Costa Blanca 20.55
9 M Serrano (Spa) ONCE-Eroski 21.45
10 M Boogerd (Ned) Rabobank 22.38
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