Lance Armstrong wins Tour de France

American Lance Armstrong on Sunday became the fifth rider to win the Tour de France five times and also the second rider to have five straight Tour victories to his credit after Spain's Miguel Indurain between 1991 and 1995.

Thanks to his fifth victory, the 31-year-old Texan, who recovered from a near-fatal cancer to win his first Tour in 1999, joined a group of riders, which includes Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault as well as Belgian Eddy Merckx.

Armstrong, who finished in the main group in Sunday's 152-km final stage from Ville d'Avray to Paris won by Frenchman Jean-Patrick Nazon, beat second-placed Jan Ullrich by 76 seconds overall.

His fifth was the hardest victory for Armstrong, who had won his four previous Tours by more than six minutes.

Ullrich, the 1997 Tour winner, has now finished second in the Tour five times - in 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2003.

Kazakh Alexander Vinokourov was third.

Frenchman Richard Virenque won a sixth King of the Mountains jersey, equalling the record held jointly by Spain's Federic Bahamontes and Belgian Lucien van Impe.

Australian Baden Cooke narrowly beat compatriot and last year's winner Robbie McEwen to win the green jersey.

Russian Denis Menchov, 11th overall, won the under-25 classification.