Bike Shorts

"I was lucky to get through all those fans," Armstrong said after the stage. Luckier than he knows: On Saturday, race officials admitted they had received death threats against the five-time champion.

"Threats were made against Armstrong," Tour de France director Jean-Marie Leblanc said, refusing to discuss the content of the threats in detail but confirming that the US Postal team leader had been made aware of the danger.

"We now know that were good reasons to fear for Armstrong's safety," Leblanc continued. "Whether they were founded or not, threats were made."

On Armstrong's 15.5-km time-trial to the summit of Alpe d'Huez -- just one of five individual stages won by the American at the 2004 race -- the 32-year-old Texan was flanked by an expanded security crew.

While all riders benefited from a motorcycle escort to navigate the manic throngs of fans on Alpe d'Huez, Armstrong was shadowed by two other special-agent motorbike cops: one keeping a sweeping eye on the crowd just in front of Armstrong, and another posting guard from alongside the US Postal team car.

"With all those people, I don't think a time-trial on Alpe d'Huez was necessarily the right thing to do," Armstrong said at the mountain's top.

"It was a little scary."

Race director Leblanc, it seems, is in agreement.

"Until [the morning of the Alpe d'Huez stage], everybody thought this time-trial was a good idea," Leblanc said.

"It was not a good idea."

According to the Tour de France's mailbag, Richard Virenque (Quick Step) is the heartthrob of the 2004 race.

The Frenchman -- on the cusp of sealing Sunday a record seventh King of the Mountains polka-dot jersey prize -- received the most fan mail in the Tour de France and Dynapost sponsored program "Courrier du Coeur, Courrier des Coureurs" (the English translation being the banal "Mail from the Heart, Mail for the Riders").

A grand total of 390 encouraging words were addressed to Virenque, with 10-day yellow-jersey wearer Thomas Voeckler receiving a second-best 359.

Third through fifth on the mailbag totem poll went to Lance Armstrong (279), Jan Ullrich (121) and Erik Zabel (72).

In the team competition, Voeckler's Brioches La Boulangere came out on top of the mail pile (460), edging out Belgian formation Quick Step (414).