Stage 5

uberwolf

group of 5 with a 15 min gap on the bunch. CSC have done it again and have a man up there. other notables include Stuart O Grady up there.

Pherekydes

I think Armstrong has made a major miscalc. Casar can go on to win the race now!

Remember you heard it here first!

PS Maybe it'll be Backstedt:D

uberwolf

they were never going to ride hard in that weather the day after the TTT though, remember kivilev, RIP, 3? yrs ago - and he was a better climber

uberwolf

indos' report

____________________
CYCLING: Armstrong plays tactical card with golden fleece
Friday July 9th 2004

AS QUICKLY as American Lance Armstrong took the lead of the Tour de France in the team time trial stage on Wednesday, he lost it again yesterday during a wet, windy and long ride between Amiens and Chartres.

It was a tactical card played out by his US Postal team and there was no sign of concern on Armstrong's face when he came home in the main field, 12 minutes 33 seconds behind five riders who had dictated the race from the seventh mile.

For the fifth time in six days, the yellow jersey found new shoulders, and for the first time, France had cause for celebration as Thomas Voeckler produced his finest race to finish fourth and move into top spot overall.

Voeckler, 25, and in his second Tour, recently won the French national road title, but yesterday, when he formed part of a five-man escape that rode almost the stage length of 125 miles together, he could not believe what was happening to him.

He said: "It is unbelievable, I never expected this to happen to me and I still can't believe it. I hope I can lead for a few days."

The stage was won by Australian Stuart O'Grady from David Millar's Cofidis team, but while the Scot is preparing for a long suspension for confessing to using drugs, O'Grady, who only came to the team this year, has shaken off three crashes in four days to move into overall second.

O'Grady started the season well, with third place in the Milan-San Remo classic race, then police raids on his team and the arrest of Philippe Gaumont - who later implicated Millar - left the team in voluntary suspension while Cofidis reassessed their position.

O'Grady was never accused of wrong-doing because he was not a member of the team during the period of the accusations made by Gaumont. He was, however, included in the team's suspension from competition during the important spring classics.

Yesterday he was emotional when he dedicated the stage win to his team and, in particular, Matt White, his best friend who should have started the race last Saturday but crashed and broke his collar bone two hours before the start, while warming up.

Attacks started from the gun, and after seven miles, O'Grady, Jakob Piil, Magnus Backstedt, and Frenchmen Sanday Casar and Voeckler broke clear of the field of 183. It was the move Armstrong wanted as Voekler, best-placed but three minutes behind him overall, called his team off the front of the race. Within 12 miles the five had gained 10 minutes and it was left to the other teams to try and close the gap.

The heavy rain again caused many fallers and when the American saw three of his team go down - Spaniards Manuel Beltran, Benjamin Noval and Checu Rubiera - he decided to take control of the head of the field once more and slow it down.

Ahead, the leaders gained a maximum of almost 18 minutes and at one stage were over six miles ahead. Behind, even in the final miles, the crashes continued and Australian green jersey leader Robbie McEwen was among the fallers, who were all unhurt.

Overall, Armstrong is down from first to sixth, but he takes his strength from the fact that the only riders capable of matching him in the Pyrenees and the Alps are behind him. The five who succeeded yesterday cannot climb the high roads of the far south and for this reason, Armstrong feels confident. "Man, it's a dream start. My team are great and we're avoiding the crashes every day," said the Texan who is chasing a record sixth win in Paris on July 25.

Today the race moves further east to Angers and instead of Armstrong worrying about controlling the pack, it is Voeckler's team, Brioches la Boulangere, who will have to defend.

Armstrong has revealed he will not compete at the Athens Olympics. He said: "I've thought a lot about this and the answer is, I shouldn't even say 'probably not'. I should say 'no'."

Australian Brad McGee, race leader for the first three days last year, has abandoned the Tour with back pain. © Daily Telegraph, London

Phil Liggett
Tour de France