Le Grand-Bornand, France ? With an amazing sprint finish, Lance Armstrong won his third stage in three overpowering days Thursday at the Tour de France, pulling even further ahead of his outclassed rivals as he marches toward a record sixth crown.

The stage win was the Texan’s fourth at this Tour — matching his previous best in other years where he also dominated — and perhaps the most incredible. He literally snatched victory from German Andreas Kloden at the line, pedaling so hard that his bicycle swung from side to side beneath him.

“No gifts this year,” he said. “I want to win.”

Even Armstrong seemed to find his sprint finish hard to believe. A beaming smile on his face, he jubilantly thrust his fists into the air as he zoomed past Kloden, who had seemed destined to win until Armstrong found that little extra at the end of one of the hardest mountain stages of the three-week cycling marathon.

Aside from satisfaction, the win gave Armstrong 20 bonus seconds. That helped extend his already sizable overall lead on Italy’s Ivan Basso to four minutes and nine seconds — more than enough to carry Armstrong through to the top of the podium in Paris on Sunday and a place in history as the only six-time winner of the 101-year-old race.

“Sweet,” he told teammate Floyd Landis as they hugged at the finish.

Armstrong’s original plan had been to let Landis win. But in the end, the chance for a 20th career individual stage victory and his third in as many days in his favorite cycling race was just too good to pass up.

Armstrong dedicated his win to Landis, who single-handedly led his boss up the grinding final section of the last climb.Aside from his 20 individual stage victories, Armstrong also has two collective wins, taking the team time trial with his U.S. Postal Service squad both this year and last.

The other years when Armstrong won four stages in a single Tour were 1999, his first victory after a comeback from cancer, and in 2001 and 2002. His other stages came in 1993, 1995, 2000 and 2003.