Ullrich, the 1997 winner and a five-time runner-up, dropped behind about halfway up the climb, grimacing and puffing, when Armstrong’s new Ukrainian teammate Yaroslav Popovych upped the already punishing pace — shaking off a tumble earlier in the stage when he collided with a car from rival Team CSC.

“He REALLY accelerated,” Armstrong said. “That was a sprint. He had a serious crash and came back and didn’t even think about it.”

Ullrich, perhaps feeling the effects of a crash of his own in the ninth stage, struggled to the finish line in 13th place, 2:14 back, his overall deficit to Armstrong growing to 4:02. Ullrich’s teammate, Andreas Kloeden, runner-up last year when Armstrong won his record sixth crown, fell to 4:16 behind overall.

The biggest surprise was the collapse of Alexandre Vinokourov, another Ullrich teammate from Kazakhstan who had been expected to seriously challenge Armstrong but who trailed Tuesday by 5:18 in 24th place. Vinokourov, third in 2003, is a whopping 6:32 back of Armstrong overall.

Armstrong said he expects them to bounce back.

“I don’t think they are finished. I am going to be the last person to write them off,” he said. “They are going to make life difficult and we’ll continue to watch them and continue to respect them.”

Valverde, racing his first Tour, is 3:16 behind Armstrong.

“A guy like him — I’m not blowing smoke — could be the future of cycling. He’s a complete rider, a smart rider and a patient rider,” said Armstrong, who added that he “gave everything I had” to try to beat the Spaniard in the final sprint.

“I attacked and couldn’t go any harder, he’s a fast guy,” he said. “I wanted the stage win because I haven’t won a race yet this year. I’m trying.”

Armstrong goes into the hardest Alpine stage, a 107.5-mile trek Wednesday over three famed ascents, with the added benefit of knowing his Discovery Channel teammates are back on their game after a surprise bad day last week. The Discovery riders poured on the pace in the first section of Tuesday’s final ascent, whittling down the field.

“Real champions,” said Armstrong. “I would give the team an A.”

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