COURCHEVEL, France -- Frenchman Richard Virenque, king of the mountains, beat overall leader Jan Ullrich in a superb duel for the 14th stage of the Tour de France on Sunday.

Virenque, second overall, and the German were given the same time for the 148-kilometer stage from Alpe d'Huez, Ullrich's aggregate advantage remaining six minutes, 22 seconds.

"I'm extremely happy to have controlled this second Alpine stage and not lost any time in relation to Virenque," said Ullrich, praised afterward for holding back over the final meters in a sprint to the finish.

SPAIN'S FERNANDO ESCARTIN WAS THIRD, 47 seconds behind, and Virenque's Festina teammate, Laurent Dufaux of Switzerland, was fourth, 1:19 behind.

Defending champion Bjarne Riis of Denmark, fifth in the stage at 1:24, climbed one place overall to third, 11:06 behind Ullrich.

Italian Marco Pantani, who won Saturday's 13th stage setting a record time for the 14.5-kilometer climb to Alpe d'Huez, was sixth on Sunday, 3:06 behind Virenque. He dropped to fourth overall, 11:30 behind Ullrich.

Former world champion Luc Leblanc of France, who suffered a bad fall in the Giro d'Italia, withdrew from the Tour on Sunday, saying he saw no point in staying in the race after falling more than an hour and a half behind the leader.

THE STAGE DEVELOPED INTO A FASCINATING five-man tussle involving Ullrich, Virenque, Riis, Escartin and Dufaux from the top of the first of three 2,000-meter climbs, the Col de Glandon.

"At table last night I gathered the team around me and said tomorrow (Sunday) we're going to win the Tour. I got the team very motivated," Virenque said.

Virenque led four team mates including Dufaux and Italian Francesco Casagrande of Saeco over the top of Glandon and in a fast break on the descent to set up the fight.

Ullrich, torn between staying with the second group with Riis, Spaniard Abraham Olano and Pantani, or trying to catch the pace-setters, attempted a counter-attack.

But after a long solo effort in which he closed the gap to 12 seconds at one point, Ullrich gave up with cramps and waited for the next chance.

ON THE NEXT CLIMB TO COL DE LA MADELEINE, VIRENQUE and Dufaux staged another attack, with Casagrande joining the pair.

They were one minute 20 seconds ahead of Ullrich, Riis and Escartin at one point but seven kilometers from the top the second trio were only 25 seconds behind, while Pantani had slipped to 1:50 and Olano 2:15.

Virenque was first to the Madeleine summit for the third Tour in a row but Riis, Ullrich and Escartin were then only 22 seconds behind, Dufaux 35, Casagrande 1:20 and Pantani 4:00.

"When the gap was 30 seconds I set off alone," Virenque said.

The 27-year-old Frenchman raced away on an extremely fast 25-kilometer descent but the leading five were all reunited on the flat for another fight on the 20-kilometer ascent to the finish at Courchevel.

"It was to difficult to do alone, so that's when Laurent Dufaux attacked," Virenque said.

But Riis counter-attacked, with Ullrich following. Gradually Virenque and Ullrich left the rest in their wake.

Monday's 208.5-kilometer 15th stage from Courchevel to Morzine includes five climbs and a downhill finish.

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