Ullrich not sad

But the German 1997 Tour winner insisted he was not too disappointed, having had a far better race than he expected after missing last year because of a knee operation and a doping ban for Ecstasy.

"Overall I can't be sad. I came here hoping to win a stage. My goal was to get ready for next year," said the Bianchi team leader, who is now 76 seconds behind four-times champion Lance Armstrong with one stage left.

"Challenging Lance for overall victory was not part of my plans. I'm actually surprised everything went so well," he added.

Ullrich surprised everyone, including himself, when he outshone Armstrong in the first time trial of the Tour between Gaillac and Cap Decouverte last week, beating the American by 96 seconds.

He came within 15 seconds of Armstrong's overall lead after the first Pyrenees stage, fooling fans into the impression he could be a serious match.

But the American overturned the situation in Luz-Ardiden as weather changed from boiling hot to mild.

He then tamed his rival on the rainy 49-km course between Pornic and Nantes, in Brittany, before the crash definitely left Ulrich's hopes in tatters.

"I wasn't going that fast when I entered the curve. I had no problems in the previous curve and no problems in the next. It's just bad luck. The most important thing is I was able to reach the finish in one piece," he said.

Ullrich was quickly back on his bike after the crash, but the momentum was gone.

"I lost my rhythm after the fall, obviously. I was more cautious after that.

"I'm a bit sad because I could have won the stage. I wasn't really thinking about the yellow jersey. That would have been possible only if Lance fell and I didn't wish for that to happen. That would not have been fair."

Now Ullrich, who appeared to have been almost back to his best, will have to wait for a year to try and stop Armstrong from becoming the first man to win six Tours.

Armstrong, who has always said Ullrich was his main opponent, was full of praise for his rival.

"For me, Jan Ullrich is still the biggest challenger. He has made it back to his highest level, maybe higher than ever.

"For the first time that I raced, he gave us shorter nights and less sleep. Nobody makes me more motivated than Jan Ullrich. In my opinion he's a big champion," he said.