Armstrong Captures Tour’s 18th Stage For Fallen Teammate

American Lance Armstrong wasn’t showing off when he pointed to the sky and blew kisses upward just before he won Friday’s 18th stage of the Tour de France.

Armstrong said he made the emotional gesture for Motorola teammate Fabio Casartelli, who was killed in a crash Tuesday and was buried Thursday.

“In the past I have won bike races and I tried to make a little show because I think the show is good for the people. Today was no show. I was only trying to recognize Fabio,” Armstrong said.

“The last few kilometers I started to suffer, but I certainly had Fabio on my mind the whole time. Certainly those things helped and motivated me today.

“I was feeling very, very bad in the last bit, but I kept thinking about him and I did that for him,” he said.

On another day with temperatures close to 95 degrees, Armstrong won the 103-mile leg from Montpon-Menesterol to Limoges with a surprise attack with 18 miles left. He won by 33 seconds over Andrea Ferrigato of Italy in 3 hours, 47 minutes, 53 seconds.

Defending champion Miguel Indurain, chasing a record fifth consecutive overall victory, finished in the pack, but maintained his overall lead of 2 minutes, 46 seconds over Alex Zulle of Switzerland.

Indurain hopes to join Belgian Eddy Merckx, and Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault as fivetime winners. He would be the first to do it in straight years.

It was the second stage win for Armstrong. In 1993 he won a stage at Verdun, becoming, at 21, one of the youngest to capture a stage.