Monday, July 7, 2003 Updated: July 8, 2:52 PM ET
Armstrong 10th after Tour's second stage
Associated Press
SEDAN, France -- Lance Armstrong finished in a pack behind
winner Baden Cooke of Australia in the second stage of the Tour de
France on Monday.
Armstrong, trying to win a record-tying fifth straight Tour,
achieved his goal by staying out of trouble. The 31-year-old Texan
finished 54th and was in 10th place overall, 11 seconds behind
Bradley McGee. The Aussie retained the leader's yellow jersey with
a 52nd-place finish.
Armstrong's finish came one day after 35 riders crashed toward
the finish of the first full stage Sunday. Armstrong was not
seriously injured.
Cooke won the stage in a final sprint after a long trek across
the French countryside.
"I can't believe it. I don't understand what's going on. It's
incredible,'' Cooke said after finishing at Sedan, a town bordering
Belgium.
Cooke covered the 127-mile stage in 5 hours, 6 minutes, 33
seconds for his first Tour stage win. This was the sprinter's first
stage win on the Tour. Last year, he was 127th overall.
"The final sprint was very, very dangerous. ... Every day you
take your chances. Usually it doesn't work, but today it worked,''
Cooke said. "I've been thinking about winning a race like this all
year.''
He was the second Australian to win a leg since the Tour started
Saturday following McGee's victory in the prologue.
"There's an incredible spirit in the team,'' McGee said.
"That's why we're working well together. On the Tour de France you
need a good spirit because of all the stress.''
French rider Jean-Patrick Nazon was second, just ahead of
Estonian Jaan Kirsipuu. Jan Ullrich, the 1997 winner, was 21st and
fifth overall.
American Tyler Hamilton broke his collarbone in Sunday's crash
but finished 100th of 196 riders. He was eighth overall.
Two riders injured in Sunday's crash, Marc Lotz of the
Netherlands and Levi Leipheimer of the United States, did not race.
Injured French rider Jimmy Casper rode the whole stage with a
neck brace and finished 189th, 10 minutes behind Cooke.
"He's put on a very brave face to come out today,'' Cooke said.
For a while, it looked as if French rider Frederic Finot might
take the stage. He and another rider broke away and at one point
built a lead of more than 11 minutes over the pack.
The other rider, Lilian Jegou, finally dropped back, leaving
Finot alone. He was finally caught by the pack 1½ miles before the
finish.
Monday's stage started at La Ferte-sous-Jouarre, east of Paris.
The riders pedaled past the contrasting landscapes of the Champagne
region -- trees in different shades of green along gently rolling
hills, alternating with horizontal fields or grassy stretches of
land. As cyclists rode through the rustic towns that hug the route,
spectators cheered, waved, and took snapshots.
Armstrong, aiming to match Spain's Miguel Indurain's record five
straight wins (1991-95), is pointing to Wednesday's time trial. The
42-mile sprint is from Joinville to Saint-Dizier, with teams
dashing off at five-minute intervals.
"It's a critical day,'' Armstrong said. "That day already
starts to shape the race.''
