PARIS, JULY 25: American Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France today after the 20th and final stage, a 143.5-km leg from Arpajon to Paris.Armstrong won the 86th Tour de France by seven minutes and 37 seconds after racing 3,686.8 km in 21 days.Switzerland's Alex Zuelle was second and Spain's Fernando Escartin third, 10 minutes and 26 seconds in arrears.The final stage over 143.5 km from Arpajon fell to Australian Robbie McEwen who outsprinted German Erik Zabel with Silvio Martinello of Italy third.It was the first overall triumph in the tour for the US for nine years and it was achieved at a record average speed of more than 40 kph. Armstrong was the first winner to capture four stages since Laurent Fignon of France in 1984.Since 1903, the Tour de France has been the scene of countless fairy tales and tragedies played out by larger-than-life characters. Armstrong fits the bill perfectly.The story of this young, gifted Texan, who fought cancer to return a Tour winner, is so fantastic that itcaused some eyebrows to raise throughout the three weeks of the Tour.But the doping suspicions and allegations made about the second American to win the Tour only added some spice to the script of a race which was too one-sided to be a real thriller.``I feel it's a fantastic story but it's not Hollywood, it's a true story,'' said Armstrong, 27.``I worked hard, I still work hard. I sacrificed everything for this race and we came here wanting to win,'' he added.``That, on top of the last three or four years in my life, is a good story.''Armstrong has everything it takes to become a celluloid hero. Brought up by his mother Linda in Austin, Texas, he took on triathlon as a teenager as an outlet for his natural aggression and strong temper.US cycling team chief Jim Ochowicz quickly discovered what a talented champion Armstrong was when he won the American Cycling Championships in 1991 but the young rider was not aware of his own potential.
