Tour de France: American Hincapie loses his yellow shirt

ESCH-SUR-ALZETTE, Luxembourg — American George Hincapie was Tour de France king for merely a day, losing the overall lead — and the yellow jersey that goes with it — to an accident-prone Norwegian on a sweltering day.

But there were no regrets. After seven years of watching his former boss, Lance Armstrong, wear yellow much of the time, Hincapie was thrilled to have had the chance to savor the famed shirt for himself, if only for 24 hours.

"A really special feeling, something I've always wanted to do," the veteran riding his 11th Tour said after slipping from first to fourth in the standings after Monday's stage two, the second longest of this first post-Armstrong Tour.

So far, Discovery Channel rider Hincapie and Thor Hushovd of the Credit Agricole team have monopolized the bright maillot jaune.

Hushovd, a sprinter, won it first, beating Hincapie in the opening time trial Saturday.

Bitterly disappointed, Hincapie wrested it away the next day, becoming the fourth American to wear yellow in the 103-year history of cycling's premier event.

Hushovd got the shirt back Monday in the same way Hincapie had taken it from him — by sprinting for time bonuses along the 137-mile route from Obernai in eastern France to Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg.

Hushovd picked up four seconds that way, more than erasing Hincapie's two-second lead, and garnered eight more bonus seconds by placing third in the jostling sprint at the finish that was won by Davitamon-Lotto rider Robbie McEwen, still one of the fastest on the Tour at age 34.

"I haven't slowed down yet," said Australian McEwen, who has nine stage wins in nine Tours and is gunning for more, as well as the green jersey that is awarded to the three-week event's best sprinter — a title he won in 2002 and 2004.

But Hushovd won the green jersey last year and isn't going to give it up without a fight. He has more than proved his mettle already, pushing on despite being injured in a freak accident in another sprint finish Sunday.

Hushovd sliced open his right arm, spraying blood all over his yellow jersey, by brushing against an outstretched and outsized green cardboard hand that a fan was holding out over the safety barriers.

Hushovd required stitches, and bruising made moving his arm difficult Monday. Pain medication also gave him a stomach ache, he said.

But in the final sprint, "you forget the pain," he said.

He and McEwen bumped each other — the Australian said Hushovd's front wheel brushed his left shoe — as they dashed for the line. Hushovd's own left shoe also popped out of its pedal, forcing him to ride with one leg for the final few yards and enabling world champion Tom Boonen — another green jersey contender — to steal second place.

For sprinters, such drama in the dangerous final stretch is common, although Hushovd said he would like to see double rows of safety barriers to keep fans at arm's length, "so we can't touch the cameras or whatever they can put out in front of us."

McEwen said he and Hushovd talked and "we're still friends."

"It wasn't his fault," Hushovd said. "I've got the yellow jersey. I can't complain."

Hincapie wasn't complaining, either. Hushovd and McEwen are pure sprinters, so he can afford to let them rule the rather flat and fast early stages.