Armstrong falls, but stays ahead of chief rivals
Friday, July 9, 2004 | 10:43 a.m.
SUN WIRE REPORTS
ANGERS, France -- Lance Armstrong recovered from an early fall today and finished in a pack behind stage winner Tom Boonen of Belgium in the Tour de France.
Armstrong, trying for a record sixth consecutive Tour de France championship, was thrown from his bike but not hurt in a crash involving a number of cyclists about 20 minutes into today's sixth stage, a 122-mile run from Bonneval to Angers.
But the fall didn't derail Armstrong's bid for another tour title as he stayed ahead of his main rivals.
He quickly got back in the race and, with help from his U.S. Postal Service teammates, caught up with the pack. He was not seriously hurt, but appeared to have a scrape on his right leg.
The spill was the first of this tour for Armstrong, a 32-year-old native Texan, and came a day after he said he was worried about crashing.
"In this race, I'm always scared, always nervous," he said. "The last two or three days for me, personally, have been really, really nerve-racking.
"It's a stressful race."
Boonen won a sprint finish today, speeding past the winner of Thursday's fifth stage, Cofidis' Stuart O'Grady of Australia, and T-Mobile rider Erik Zabel of Germany. Thomas Voeckler of France retained the overall leader's yellow jersey.
American Tyler Hamilton, a former teammate of Armstrong who now rides for Phonak, blew a tire, but caught up with the main group near the 36-mile mark.
Armstrong finished the route 35 seconds behind Boonen, though all riders were awarded the same time because of a crash in the final kilometer.
Armstrong remained sixth in the standings, nine minutes, 35 seconds adrift of Voeckler, who is likely to drop down the classification when the race reaches the mountain stages.
A group of six riders broke away from the peloton after 27 kilometers and held an advantage until the final five kilometers when they were caught by the pack.
With the race then set for a sprint finish a crash near the front of the peloton left a small group of riders competing for the stage win. Quick Step Davitamon rider Boonen held off challenges from O'Grady and Zabel.
Armstrong managed to avoid the crash, though he was held up. The rules of the sport state that all riders are given the same time as the stage winner if there is an incident in the final kilometer.
Meanwhile, Italian sprint specialists Mario Cipollini, 37, and Alessandro Petacchi, 30, withdrew before the stage began because of injury.
Cipollini, who has never finished the tour in eight appearances, has a leg infection, while Petacchi hurt his shoulder in a crash Thursday.
"I can't move my arm that I bruised yesterday. I don't feel like facing a Tour de France stage, I would be a danger to myself and for others," said Petacchi, a winner of four stages last year, in a statement from his Fassa Bortolo team.
Saturday's seventh stage takes the riders on a 204.5- kilometer trip from Chateaubriant to Saint-Brieuc. The race ends July 25 in Paris.
archive
- Most Read
- Discussed
- Most E-mailed
- Sarah Palin wasn’t a disaster, but Obama is
- CityCenter’s Mandarin Oriental makes Vegas debut
- Kimbo Slice not enjoying cutting weight for first time
- As national jobless rate improves, LV sees signs of trouble
- Pacquiao-Mayweather fight on, March date likely
- Kruger may soon seek more disciplined shot selection
- Del Sol seeks upset against powerhouse Bishop Gorman
- Sub-freezing temperatures hit Las Vegas
- Court upholds sex conviction for Las Vegas magician
- UNLV president denies reports of Livengood as new AD
Blogs
The Kats Report
Kirk Kerkorian: CityCenter is 'simply the most amazing' Vegas project ever
Robin Leach's Las Vegas Celebrity Watch
Great Santa Run: Unofficial 14,595 runners would be a new record
Elsewhere
Rampage Jackson to return to UFC (3 Comments)
Politics: Ralston's Flash
Superintendents want state to immediately seek Race to Top funds
Top Chef: Las Vegas
The Jet Stream: The great Jennifer debate (2 Comments)
The Kats Report
From Eva Longoria Parker to a cluster of execs, crowd takes a shine to Crystals (4 Comments)
Elsewhere
Harry Reid's recipe for getting health-care deal done (10 Comments)
Calendar »
- 5 Sat
- 6 Sun
- 7 Mon
- 8 Tue
- 9 Wed
-
Chickenfoot at The Joint
The Joint | 8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
-
The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale at the Pearl
The Pearl at the Palms | 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
-
Great Santa Run at Town Square
Town Square | 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
-
Willie Nelson at Planet Hollywood Theatre for the Performing Arts
Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino | 9 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
-
Cash'd Out at Aliante Station
Aliante Station Casino and Hotel | 9 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
-
Brooks & Dunn at the Hilton
Las Vegas Hilton
-
Ron White performs at the Mirage
Terry Fator Theatre
The Sun
Locally owned and independent for more than 50 years.
Technorati












