Armstrong takes the lead in Tour of Georgia's 3rd stage

Five-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong captured the overall lead in the Tour of Georgia on Thursday, following up his victory in the morning's third stage with a triumph in the evening individual time trial.

The American cycling icon warned after winning the 126.2km third stage that he might not have enough left for the time trial comprising the fourth stage.

But he set an unbeatable pace to complete the 29.9km individual test in 39min 51sec. German Jens Voigt was second in the time trial, followed by defending Tour of Georgia champion Chris Horner of the US.

If Armstrong was looking to the second annual Tour of Georgia to show his level of fitness, he got a good indication on Thursday.

"When I rode the time trial at Criterium, I didn't feel super-super," Armstrong said. "I had a pretty good TT but the uphill finish there I suffered. That was really the last check I had had.

"In the weeks since I've had a good time, I've been back in the States, I've spent a lot of quality time with my kids, which gave me a bit of a charge. No problems, no injuries. It's not bad."

Armstrong said the time trial, with it's climb in the middle, pushed him.

"That was a very hard climb," he said. "I suffered. I suffered this morning, too."

On Thursday morning, Armstrong beat out Cuban Ivan Dominguez in a sprint finish in the 126.2km stage from Carrollton to Rome on Thursday morning, both finishing in a time of 2hr 41min 42sec.

Armstrong, whose last win in a stage race on US soil was in the Tour DuPont in 1996, admitted he found the three 4km circuits that concluded the stage in Rome unnerving.

"It's crazy," Armstrong said.