Ax-3 Domaines, France ? As the Pyrenean peak loomed, the assault Lance Armstrong was bracing for finally came. Here, the six-time champion knew, was a Tour de France moment of truth.

“It’s scary,” he said later.

Emotionless behind their wraparound shades, Armstrong’s pink-shirted rivals from the German T-Mobile squad raced into the steep ascent at full pelt. The tactic was simple: Isolate Armstrong by riding so hard that his teammates would be unable to stay with the pace.

It worked. By the time T-Mobile’s racers were spent, Armstrong’s support crew were strewn down the road and his long-tormented challengers, including T-Mobile leader Jan Ullrich, finally had him were they wanted him – alone on a climb. Now, it was man-to-man.

“In that situation you either fight back or you run away,” Armstrong said.

He fought, and end result was familiar: Armstrong came out on top of his main challengers in an epic stage 14, taking another step toward a seventh consecutive Tour victory.

Even without his teammates who usually lead him up mountains, Armstrong fended off Ullrich, Italian Ivan Basso and others, and dealt out punishment of his own by beating them to the ski station of Ax-3 Domaines, extending his overall lead.

Armstrong placed second, 56 seconds behind Georg Totschnig, the first Austrian since 1931 to win a stage. But he is not a challenger in the overall standings.

Basso, who is, stayed with Armstrong up to Ax-3 Domaines but couldn’t follow his finishing sprint, placing third.

Ullrich was fourth, dropped by Armstrong’s acceleration toward the end.

Lance Armstrong, left, and Italy's Ivan Basso pedal in an ascent during the Tour de France. Armstrong lengthened his lead in Saturday's stage that ended in Ax-3 Domaines, France.

Overall, Armstrong’s lead over Basso grew to 2 minutes, 46 seconds and to 4:34 over Ullrich. Those advantages could carry Armstrong to victory July 24 in Paris if he keeps riding as he has.

Closest overall remains Mickael Rasmussen. But the Dane lost 63 seconds to Armstrong, placing eighth. For now, he trails Armstrong by 1:41 but that will likely grow dramatically in a time trial on the Tour’s penultimate day. Armstrong excels in clock-races; Rasmussen often struggles.

Saturday’s brutal 137-mile trek was raced under a scorching sun. Riders poured water over themselves to cool down.

“The heat, the distance, it was hard, it was a very hard day,” Armstrong said.

But the riders are getting no relief. Today comes what Armstrong called “the hardest day of the Tour” – a relentless 127.7-mile route from Lezat-sur-Leze that has a succession of five climbs before an uphill finish to Saint-Lary Soulan.