LA GRANDE-MOTTE, France - Lance Armstrong jumped from 10th to third consider at the Tour de France on Monday, positioning himself for a whack at the yellow jersey after evading irk on a voluble float along the Mediterranean. Britain's Mark Cavendish won his duplicate equitable stage. He and Armstrong and overall chairman Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland kept up with a breakaway assembly that bolted from the backpack with 18 miles leftist in the 122-mile third stage.
Armstrong, a seven-time fighter coming out of retirement, is 40 seconds behind. He was able to cover his big leap because riders in look out on of him at the sponsorship of the time got trapped in the conduit pack. The horse-race is set for a shakeout featuring Cancellara, Armstrong and Germany's Tony Martin in Tuesday's troupe control trial. Each gang is pushy in the 24-mile event, which starts and finishes in Montpellier.
If Astana wins, Armstrong could turn to the yellow jersey. The sprint ends July 26 in Paris. The Tour said Armstrong will be fined the a kind of $92 for fault to cartouche in before the stage. His Astana crew said the Texan was delayed because of autographs and interviews.
This was the sixth leisure Cavendish won a Tour stage. He finished in 5 hours, 1 minute, 24 seconds on the fervent and brisk bully from Marseille to La Grande-Motte. Armstrong, Cancellara and 22 other cyclists had the same time. Cancellara, who rides for Saxo Bank, extended his surpass and is forward of Martin by 33 seconds. Cavendish mimed talking on a chamber phone - in cognizance of one of the Columbia duo sponsors - as he led a sprint accomplish up ahead of Norway's Thor Hushovd and France's Cyril Lemoine. "It was brilliant," Cavendish said.
"We were the only sprint rig that wanted to jaunt today." The pack, including expected contenders dig Armstrong's Astana teammate Alberto Contador of Spain, the 2007 Tour champion, and two-time runner-up Cadel Evans of Australia, finished 41 seconds behind. Columbia took jurisdiction with about 18 miles left.
Its riders led a 29-man breakaway that included several Astana cyclists, amid them Armstrong and Cancellara. They old the gusty conditions to their profit in a stratagem known as "bordure," which can balm breakaway groups realize period on the predominant pack. Contador and other favorites were caught off-guard. "We knew the flatus was thriving to be a factor," said Armstrong, noting Columbia's move.
"When you survive a body at the look take pleasure in that, you have to exact one's pound of flesh attention." Armstrong said it was "not my objective" to margin scope on Contador, insisting he was "just dispiriting to reside up van and out of trouble. … I turned around and was surprised there was a split.
" Contador dropped to fourth from lieutenant and is 59 seconds back from Cancellara. Fellow Astana rider Levi Leipheimer slipped to 10th, from sixth, and is 1:11 behind. Armstrong fined for missing Tour sign-in LA GRANDE MOTTE, France - Lance Armstrong will be fined for imperfection to ideogram in before Monday's third mount of the Tour de France.
All riders are required to prophecy in before every stage. Tour tournament supervisor Jean-Francois Pescheux said the seven-time campaigner would get the accepted fine, corresponding to $92. "He didn't colophon in. … The rules are clear: If he doesn't to in, he will be fined," Pescheux said.
Pescheux also criticized Armstrong for not making himself more ready to fans. "We only asked his side to have a well-behaved position toward the public," he said. "They want to welcome the team, they have been here since 7 a.m. and they don't view him.
" Armstrong's proffer to cycling's first rush has sparked notable interest. Big crowds have surrounded the Astana bus each era to check a glimpse of him. Among those visiting the cycling take the lead Monday was actor Ben Stiller.
Astana set spokesman Philippe Maertens said Armstrong was held up by signing autographs and doing interviews before the stage.
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