Cycling: Botero dents Armstrong's aura of invincibility

Colombian shocks defending champion as Gonzalez keeps overall lead and Millar makes mark

For the first time in four years Lance Armstrong was forced to admit defeat in a long individual time trial in the Tour de France, the Colombian Santiago Botero opening up a 10-second margin on the defending champion in a race against the clock on Britanny's rolling coast roads.

The overwhelming favourite to be in the yellow jersey on the Champs-Elysées, a status which was reinforced after he trounced the opposition in this year's opening prologue, Armstrong appeared to be as strong as ever as he sped along the 52-kilometre course between Lanester and Lorient.

However, the intermediate time checks in the speciality the US Postal leader describes as "the race of truth", which provided the first important reference point to all the contenders for victory in the 2002 Tour, told a different story.

He was spinning the gears at what seemed to be as high a rate as ever, and television commentators nearly fell out of their seats when it was reported that Armstrong was four seconds adrift of Botero at the first checkpoint after 19.5km.

Given that the Texan has had the best times both along the route and at the end of the eight long time trials he has won in the Tour, that was enough to sound alarm bells in the US Postal camp.

As the road descended from the wooded countryside surrounding the coastal resort of Lanester and straightened into a 40km slog between sand dunes on one side and holidaymakers slowly roasting on a succession of tiny beaches on the other, it seemed as if things were returning to their normal course when Armstrong drew virtually level with Botero's second intermediate time, two-thirds of the way through.

However, the slight increase in gradient on the final grind through the suburbs of Lorient saw Armstrong slowing once more. As he tore round the final right-hand bend leading into the finishing straight, the Texan was already outside Botero's time, and he crossed the line 10 seconds adrift of the Kelme-Costa Blanca rider.

For any other big name, coming so close to a specialist against the clock like Botero would be no cause for shame. But for Armstrong, who has appeared for the last three years to be able to win whichever stage he likes, this was a reminder that perhaps – and for now it is only perhaps – he is no longer invulnerable.

To rub salt in the wound, the race leader Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano, no mean time trialist himself, lost a paltry eight seconds to the American, enabling the Basque to remain in yellow at least as far as the first mountain in two days.

The Basque was upbeat about his short-term chances of retaining the maillot jaune, arguing that if Armstrong can be defeated on the beaches of Britanny, then perhaps further damage can be inflicted on him in the Pyrenean mountain passes as well.

"He's the No 1 favourite, and that remains the case," Gonzalez said. "But maybe this is the first sign that cycling's generation of 1973 is on the point of overtaking the generation of 1971."

"It's attack until they crack or I do," Armstrong said. "I didn't have a good day, and in time trials it's inevitable that sometimes you lose to specialists like Botero or Igor. In any case I was sure that Gonzalez de Galdeano was going to keep the jersey today."

However, considering that up until now the Texan was considered a specialist against the clock, this represents a significant change in attitude.

Britain's David Millar was almost as enthusiastic as the Once-Eroski rider, after taking seventh on the stage – his most notable result in a long Tour time trial – propelled him back into the white jersey, denoting the best-placed young rider on the race, which he briefly held after the Luxembourg prologue.

"It's really satisfying," Millar said. "I gunned it from the start and couldn't be more pleased with my result."

The Scot will now try to defend the white jersey in the Pyrenees, an additional objective to his pre-race aim of a stage win. Armstrong, though, is guaranteed to provide fireworks – yet Spanish hopes are high that they will fizzle out more quickly than in the previous three years.

YESTERDAY'S TOUR RESULTS

STAGE NINE (Individual time trial, Lanester to Lorient, 52km, 34.24 miles): 1 S Botero (Col) Kelme 1hr 2min 18sec; 2 L Armstrong (US) US Postal +11sec; 3 S Honchar (Ukr) Fassa Bortolo +18; 4 I Gonzalez Galdeano (Sp) Once-Eroski +19; 5 L Bodrogi (Hun) Mapei Quick Step +25; 6 R Rumsas (Lith) Lampre-Daikin s/t; 7 D Millar (GB) Cofidis +50; 8 D Frigo (It) Tacconi Sports +1min 34sec; 9 A Peron (It) CSC-Tiscali s/t; 10 J Beloki (Sp) Once-Eroski +1:38; 11 V Ekimov (Rus) US Postal +1:41; 12 T Hamilton (US) CSC-Tiscali +1:56; 13 M Wauters (Bel) Rabobank +2:08; 14 A Tauler (Sp) Kelme +2:14; 15 F Landis (US) US Postal +2:21; 16 R Belohvosciks (Lat) Lampre +2:21; 17 B Zberg (Swit) Rabobank +2:23; 18 V-H Pena (Col) US Postal +2:34; 19 L Leipheimer (US) Rabobank +2:35; 20 J Azevedo (Por) Once-Eroski s/t.

Overall standings: 1 Gonzalez Galdeano 33hr 21min 23sec; 2 Armstrong +26sec; 3 Beloki +1:23; 4 Honchar +1:35; 5 Botero +1:55; 6 Peron +2:08; 7 Millar +2:11; 8 Rumsas +2:22; 9 Hamilton +2:30; 10 Azevedo +2:45; 11 Ekimov +2:48; 12 J Jaksche (Ger) Once +2:49; 13 M Serrano (Sp) Once +2:59; 14 A Olano (Sp) Once +3:07; 15 Landis +3:15; 16 I Nozal (Sp) Once +3:37; 17 I Basso (It) Fasso Bortolo +4:05; 18 L Jalabert (Fr) CSC-Tiscali +4:18; 19 N Sorensen (Den) CSC-Tiscali +4:23; 20 F Mancebo (Sp) Ibanesto s/t.

Points standings (green jersey): 1 E Zabel (Ger) Telekom 193pts; 2 R McEwen (Aus) Lotto Adecco 191; 3 B Cooke (Aus) FDJeux 134; 4 S O'Grady (Aus) Crédit Agricole 119; 5 J Kirsipuu (Est) Ag2R 110.

King of the mountains (polka dot jersey): 1 C Mengin (France) FdJ 42pts; 2 S Berges (Fr) AG2r 26; 3 L Dierckxsens (Bel) Lampre 15; 4 F Renier (Fr) Bonjour 13; 5 P Halgand (Fr) Jean Delatour 12.

Young rider (white jersey): 1 Millar 33:23:34; 2 Nozal +1:26; 3 Basso +1:54; 4 D Menchov (Rus) Ibanesto +3:13; 5 S Casar (Fr) FdJ +4:41.