Armstrong nears Tour title as Spaniard wins 18th stage

Jul 21, 2005, 17:11 GMT

Spaniard Marcos Serrano of Liberty Seguros-Wuerth Team celebrates on the podium after winning the eighteenth stage of the 2005 Tour de France cycling race, Thursday 21 July 2005 in Mende. The 189km eighteenth stage of the 92nd Tour de France led the cyclists from Albi to Mende. EPA/GERO BRELOER

Mende, France - Lance Armstrong came one day closer to his seventh consecutive Tour de France championship as Spaniard Marcos Serrano won Thursday's 18th stage.

Following the running of the 189 kilometres from Albi to Mende in the south of France, the 33-year-old American continued to lead Italian Ivan Basso by 2:46 minutes in the overall standings, with Mickael Rasmussen of Denmark 3:46 behind.

Barring accident or illness, Armstrong is virtually certain to win his seventh consecutive title when the Tour ends in Paris on Sunday, the final day in his professional racing career.

The 32-year-old Serrano was timed in 4 hr 37:36 minutes to win his first-ever Tour stage in his seventh participation in the race. Frenchman Cedric Vasseur finished second and Axel Merckx of Belgium was third, both 26 seconds behind the winner.

Armstrong finished 12th in the stage, 11:18 minutes behind Serrano.

The Spaniard was part of a 10 riders who broke away from the main pack at the 45-kilometre mark and were allowed to contest the stage win among themselves since no one in the group threatened Armstrong in the standings.

Serrano proved himself the strongest climber on the final, testing ascent of the stage, building up a lead that he maintained to the finish.

The delighted winner told France 2 television that he'd considered not tackling the Tour de France again after 2003 due to his lack of success.

"The Tour is the Tour," he said. "If you prepare well and work, and still nothing happens, you begin to doubt yourself. But you must overcome the bad times to enjoy the good."

Friday's stage covers 153.5 kilometres and includes five climbs, but only one considered testing, so it may be the scene of another long breakaway and another easy day for Lance Armstrong.