France--Lance Armstrong won his fourth-straight Tour de France, this time rallying from 71st place and a two-day deficit on the final afternoon of cycling's greatest competition to complete another statistically impossible victory that will cement his claim as one of the greatest cyclists ever.

"This is my greatest comeback yet," a thrilled Armstrong told a gathering of cheering fans. "I mean, to make up a two-day deficit in just an afternoon...wow! When you think about it, that doesn't make any sense?"

Armstrong, who perennially finds himself far behind deep into this competition, nevertheless wins it every year. He is helped, some believe, by the fact that nobody, not even Tour de France officials, have any clue how the race is scored, so that massive disadvantages can be erased seemingly at the whim of tour officials, who are adamant that Armstrong remain the Tour's champion until a more appealing, dramatic figure emerges to replace him.

"Let's be honest," said Jacques Temaire, the Tour's President. "Nobody has a clue how we score this race, and that includes us. All that matters is that no matter how far back Lance is entering the final stages of the race, we make sure he comes out the winner."

Two years ago Armstrong was considered all but beaten, trailing Manuel Pereles of Spain by almost 19 hours with nine other riders ahead of him by at least 40 minutes with less than a day remaining in the race. Worse yet, Armstrong was battling the flu and spent most of the final day walking his bike up the insanely steep hills of Mt. Saint Trentbleau. Not to worry: When it was all said and done, he'd been crowned champion for the second time in his rising career.

"That was something, too," Armstrong later said. "That may have been my greatest win. I don't get it. I really don't. I just keep winning this thing. What can I say?"