A second is not very long, but less than one tick of the second-hand has cost Levi Leipheimer two important victories inside four days of racing at the Dauphiné Libéré. The 31-year-old lost Wednesday's windy, demanding 47km individual time trial to Santiago Botero (Phonak) by a narrow 0.70 seconds. That bitter disappointment comes after losing Sunday's prologue to compatriot George Hincapie (Discovery Channel) by an even more slender 0.17 seconds. So why was Leipheimer smiling after standing atop the podium in sunny Roanne? Because he was wearing the overall leader's jersey, and his 12-second lead to second-place Botero seems like an eternity in comparison.

FULLRESULTS "I didn't hold back at all today because I didn't want to lose by one second again, but I did, but after I learned that I had taken the yellow jersey, that eased the pain a little bit," said Leipheimer, wearing a race leader's jersey in Europe for the first time since winning the 2002 Route du Sud. Leipheimer, who also missed overall victory at the Tour de Georgia back in April by just four seconds, says the best way to make up for the sting is to keep the jersey with four hard climbing stages left in the eight-day Dauphiné Libéré. "I gave everything today," Leipheimer continued. "I'm pleased to have this jersey. Now I will try to win the Dauphiné. I will take it day-by-day without pressure. If there's a chance to win, I will take it." Botero, meanwhile, took another impressive win after claiming the overall and a stage-victory at the Tour of Romandie in May. The 2002 world time trial champion erased a 19-second deficit to Leipheimer at the day's main obstacle, the Cat. 3 Côte de Paimpillod at 20.5km. Strong headwinds and a long flat favored Botero's stronger aerodynamic style on the second half of the course and the Colombian won with 1 hour, 6.55 seconds at 46.915kph. "The wind was a big factor and I could feel the wind catching my wheels," said Botero, who won a Dauphiné time trial in his eight-win 2002 season that also included the world title. "On the flats, I was taking back 1 second a kilometer. I knew it was going to be close." Armstrong third, Landis fourth
While Botero and Leipheimer finished 1-2 separated by less than one second, coming through third was six-time defending Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong at 26 seconds slower. Armstrong hasn't raced since the Tour de Georgia in April and said he felt the lack of racing in his legs on the long course. "That was a hard effort," Armstrong said after his ride. "I started hard and fast. It was difficult. There was a climb with a downhill and a lot of wind, so you had to pedal. It was a 100-percent effort." Armstrong is at the Dauphiné to prepare for a run at a seventh Tour crown and despite the third-place ride when he wanted to win, the Texan said he's on track for July. "Botero is a specialist and he had a good ride. I'm not overwhelmingly pleased, but I'm not disappointed either. I'm on schedule," he said. "It wasn't perfect, but the overall sensations were good. I feel better than I did in Georgia." Floyd Landis (Phonak) posted another strong ride, finishing fourth at 39 seconds back in yet more proof the former worker is evolving quickly into a team leader for the upcoming Tour de France. Hincapie, meanwhile, roared to another impressive ride, finishing seventh at 1:11 back, 11 seconds slower than Alexandre Vinokourov (T-Mobile) in fifth and two seconds slower than Oscar Pereiro (Phonak) in sixth. Yaroslav Popovych, Armstrong's heir apparent at Discovery, rode with a bad stomach and finished 36th at 3:29 back. Last year's Tour runner-up Andreas Kloden (T-Mobile) rode to a disappointing 34th at 3:25 slower while 2003's best young Tour rider, Denis Menchov (Rabobank), was 22nd at 2:58 back. Ventoux looms on the horizon
The Géant de Provence looms over the Dauphiné Libéré like a brooding colossus. The menacing 1909m summit needs no introduction in cycling lore, a mountain so hard it killed a man. With its unrelenting steepness and exposed upper reaches, Mont Ventoux is among the most feared climbs in France. Thursday's 182km fourth stage from Tournon-sur-Rhône to the observatoire atop the white-washed summit is pancake flat for the 140km run to Beaume-de-Venise, the day's second intermediate sprint. The Ventoux climb gets serious with 21km to go after rolling through the bucolic village at Bedouin, a nice place for sipping rose under a shady tree, a bad place to be if you're putting your bike uphill. At Sainte-Colombe with 17.5km to go, the road turns upward into the forested lower flanks of the imposing beast. The climb offers no respite on switchbacks, climbing steadily through the forest at a crisp 9 percent grade. At the cabins at Le Chalet Reynard, the tarmac turns out of the forest onto the moon-like, starched white stones for the final 6km climb to the summit. The final section is exposed to the wind and the unrelenting Provencal sun, with an average grade of 9 percent over the final 3km, creating extreme conditions that test the will of any rider. Armstrong has never won atop Ventoux, but the mountain has played a central role in the Armstrong legend. In the 2000 Tour, he chased down Marco Pantani but let the Italian slip ahead to take the win, a gesture that backfired when the proud Pantani felt insulted that the Texan gifted the stage. Richard Virenque stayed away in a solo break to win when the Tour returned to Ventoux in 2002, and in last year's Dauphiné, Armstrong lost more than two minutes to Spanish rider Iban Mayo in an individual time trial. After some close calls, Armstrong would like to win at Ventoux before retiring after this year's Tour, but he's not making any bold promises. "It's a mountain I respect," Armstrong said earlier this week. "We will see how the stage unfolds. My favorite for the win is Levi. I've been training with him in (Spain), so I have some inside information. He doesn't look to have the strongest team to protect him, but he can win this Dauphiné." For Leipheimer, the Ventoux stage becomes something different altogether. With a 12-second lead on Botero, 30 seconds on Armstrong, 42 on Landis and 1:12 on Vinokourov, Leipheimer will need a strong ride to retain his grip on the leader's jersey. When asked how many times he's ridden up Ventoux, he said: "Three times. I know it." He'll do anything not to lose by a second this time. OVERALL, AFTER STAGE 3
1. LEIPHEIMER Levi (USA) Gerolsteiner 11:11:20
2. BOTERO Santiago (COL) Phonak, at 0:12
3. ARMSTRONG Lance (USA) Discovery, at 0:30
4. LANDIS Floyd (USA) Phonak, at 0:42
5. HINCAPIE George (USA) Discovery, at 1:09
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