Villard-De-Lans, France ? If Lance Armstrong were going to show any weakness, if he were going to let Ivan Basso or Jan Ullrich gain confidence, it appeared it would happen Tuesday.

As the three cycling standouts headed to the finish line ahead of the pack, each had a shot at winning this year’s first Tour de France stage in the Alps. Joined by Ullrich’s teammate Andreas Kloden, all jockeyed for an edge in the closing yards, trading leads of a bicycle length or so.

In the end, Armstrong produced something extra, flashing past Basso on a late turn and winning the 15th stage to reclaim the yellow jersey, a familiar position for the Texan, who has won the last five Tours.

His sixth crown never seemed so close. Still, Armstrong says the only place to declare victory is on the crowd-packed Champs-Elysees when the Tour ends Sunday.

“It’s not finished,” he said. “Today wasn’t easy.”

Finding fresher legs at the end of a seven-climb, 112-mile trek into the mountains, Armstrong outsprinted Italy’s Basso, his closest rival, and Germany’s Ullrich, the 1997 champion and five-time runner-up. Basso was credited with the same finishing time (4 hours, 40 minutes, 30 seconds) in the 15th stage, while Ullrich was three seconds back, and Kloden was six seconds behind.

It was an impressive display by Armstrong and one that must have been demoralizing for his pursuers.

“There’s something special in winning in a sprint,” Armstrong said. “To win in a sprint for me is much more intense than being alone.”

He earned a time bonus for the victory, extending his overall lead over Basso to 1:25. If the American makes that stand up over the last five days of the three-week cycling marathon, he’ll break the record for most Tour titles.

The stage victory was Armstrong’s second this Tour and the 18th of an illustrious career marked by a comeback from cancer. He also has two team-time-trial victories, this year and last.

To fans’ cheers, Armstrong slipped into his 61st yellow jersey after his win, overtaking Miguel Indurain for third place in Tour history. Only Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault — like Indurain and Armstrong, five-time Tour champions — earned more of the garish but coveted shirts.

“It’s exciting to take the yellow jersey, even if it’s number 61 or however many. It’s still a thrill,” Armstrong said.