16:43 While Botero and rest of the stage 14 finishers head off to their hotels, Laurent Jalabert and Alex Zulle, their Tour challenge in tatters, reach the top of Col d'Izouard, half an hour behind the leaders.

16:40 Saeco's Salvodelli holds off the chasing pack to claim a fine second place, 2'30" down on Botero. Pantani sprints away from Armstrong and co. to finish third, 2'46" behind Botero, and Escartin leads the rest of the elite group over the line 2'49" in arrears.

16:38 Santiago Botero, the only Colombian left in the race, wins after riding at the front for 135km. His time was an incredible seven hours, 56 minutes and 13 seconds.

16:33 A very tired Botero begins the final climb into the town of Briancon to complete a memorable day for Colombian cycling and his Spanish team Kelme.

16:28 Virenque gives up his effort to bridge the gap to Baranowski and Salvodelli and rejoins the elite group of Armstrong, Pantani, Ullrich, Escartin, Moreau, Herve et al. Botero still leads by a healthy 3'11" margin.

16:20 Kelme rider Botero looks certain to claim the stage win and take the polka dot jersey for King of the Mountains, despite some uncertain descending. Virenque, on the other hand, is flying down the mountain and has managed to create a gap between himself and the Armstrong group.

16:15 A group led by Virenque and Pantani catch Armstrong just before the peak of Col d'Izouard, and the group cross the top 3'06 behind Botero. Baranowski and Salvodelli are in second and third places just 2 minutes behind the Colombian.

16:09 Botero is still leading but the situation on the road is confused and Armstrong can be seen talking to his team car via the wire on his right shoulder trying to find out where his main rivals are. Meanwhile, Pantani is now in a chasing group with Herve, Virenque, Beloki, Moreau and Ullrich.

16:04 Armstrong strikes again! Just as Pantani and the powerful Texan were starting to sweep up the remnants of the breakaway group of eight, Armstrong accelerated again to leave Pantani behind.

15:59 Pantani and Armstrong are now only 3'37 behind Botero, who has dropped Poland's Baranowski to lead on his own. Roberto Conti, who broke away from the peloton on the descent from Col de Vars, is only just ahead.

15:55 With attacks coming fast and furious, Marco Pantani storms to the front of the main group and only Armstrong can respond to the Italian's surge. Virenque and Ullrich are left behind just as they were on the ascent of Mount Ventoux.

15:46 The leading pack of eight riders has fragmented on the punishing Col d'Izouard. With the US Postal-driven peloton catching fast, now only 3'54'' behind, Kelme's Santiago Botero and Banesto's Dariusz Baranowski have broken away at the front.

15:31 With a group of eight riders still out front on their own, about 35 chasers, including all the main contenders, are grouped around Armstrong.

15:29 The Kelme pair, Botero and Pascual-Llorente, lead the eight onto the Izouard climb with the peloton still trailing by 4'45.

15:25 With only 36.5km left to race, the eight leaders are approaching the climb of the Col d'Izouard. Armstrong's US Postal team is driving the peloton, which is 4'51" behind the pace-setters.

15:02 The leading group is now made up of the Banesto pair Odriozola and Baranowski, Kelme's Botero and Pascual-Llorente, Heppner of the Telekom team, Rous of Bonjour, Rabobank's Den Bakker and Salvodelli of Saeco.

15:00 Colombia's Botero catches the leading group to bring their number to eight.

14:59 The leading group start the descent from the Col de Vars - about 25km long. Only the daunting Col d'Izouard remains - a Hors Category climb of 14.1km at an average gradient of 7.2%.

14:57 Yellow jersey holder Lance Armstrong is in the peleton, which is now 3'10" behind the leading seven riders.