Tour de France
Thrills, spills at Tour de France — with more to come

By John Leicester
The Associated Press

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Armstrong kept his drive for a record sixth straight Tour victory on track by placing comfortably down in the field — along with several key rivals — in 85th. Armstrong's biggest threat, 1997 Tour winner Jan Ullrich, finished 38th, in the same time as the Texan.

As the pack of riders bore down on the finish, McEwen used a burst of speed to get to the front and raised his arms in victory as he crossed the line. Such mass sprints are always hazardous and this one took out two riders who crashed in the last few hundred yards.

McEwen beat second-placed Thor Hushovd of Norway in the 122-mile route from Charleroi to Namur, with a small detour into neighboring France. But Hushovd, who was third in another sprint finish Sunday, still secured the overall race lead and the coveted yellow jersey that goes with it.

"Everything was on automatic," McEwen said. "I won't say it was easy but it went really nicely."

Spills, wind, and the threat of breakaways fill the first week with stress for Armstrong and his rivals who are saving themselves for their duels in the mountains and later time trials.

"It's really stressful. In the last 20 to 30 kilometers (15 to 20 miles) the pace really picks up and everybody fights. All etiquette is out the door. You do what you can — you scratch and bite and do whatever," said American rider Levi Leipheimer, 13th overall.

To keep the five-time champion safe, his U.S. Postal Service squad generally designates two teammates to stay with Armstrong during each stage, Postal veteran George Hincapie said.

Hincapie, competing in his ninth Tour, and Viatcheslav Ekimov, a Russian on his 14th Tour, usually take over the bodyguard role for final 12 miles, when the pack is speeding to the line.

"We keep him out of the wind, keep him from going too far behind, just keep him in a good position all day — with as little energy expenditure as possible," Hincapie said.

There were several crashes during the stage run under sunny skies. One came just 14 miles from the finish when a pack of riders caught up to six cyclists who had led most of the stage.
 
For Gian Matteo Fagnini, the Tour ended with a crash 25 miles from the finish. The Italian rider for the Domina Vacanze squad injured his collarbone and was taken to a hospital. Other riders caught up in the spill rejoined the race.

Tuesday could be another day of thrills and spills, with two sections of cobblestone paths that some riders are dreading. The weather forecast is for sunshine, a good sign for riders since the paving can become treacherous when wet.

"Everybody's concerned," said Hincapie. "It's going to be a little technical stage and a lot can be lost."

Both cobblestone sections come in the second half of the mostly flat 130-mile stage from Waterloo, Belgium, to the northern French town of Wasquehal. The route should again favor sprinters or riders who brave a breakaway ahead of the main pack.

The first cobbled section runs for 1.7 miles. The second, 15 miles from the finish, is nearly three-quarters of a mile long.

Punctures, crashes, crowds are all potential hazards. Some say the cobblestone sections have no place in the Tour and could spoil the race if they unseat a top rider.

"It's too risky," said Dirk Demol, assistant sporting director for Armstrong's U.S. Postal Service squad.

Danish squad CSC plans to fit slightly wider wheels with more grip and have people roadside armed with spares for any punctures, spokesman Brian Nygaard said. Top rider Ivan Basso, an outside contender for the title, has never competed on cobblestones before, although the team scouted both sections twice last week, he added.

Riders "don't like it. The element of chance is too big," said Nygaard. "If you have a puncture there and have to wait two minutes for a spare your Tour could be over."

Armstrong rival Tyler Hamilton, who fractured his collarbone in a crash on day two of last year's Tour, also ordered wider wheels for his team, their mechanic said.

Hamilton says he would have avoided the stones had he designed the Tour route.

"But that's what bike racing is all about, different terrain, mountains, flat stages, crosswinds and this year cobblestones," he said. "We'll obviously try to stay toward the front and try to stay upright, obviously. Our goal for that day is just safety."

Highlights from the second stage of the Tour de France

NAMUR, Belgium — A brief look at today's second stage of the Tour de France.

Stage: A relatively flat, 122-mile stage from Charleroi, Belgium, to Namur along dry roads and under cloud patches that produced no rain.

Winner: Australia's Robbie McEwen of Lotto Domo team, after a sprint finish.

How Others Fared: 178 others finished in a pack with the same time as McEwen. Lance Armstrong was 85th and fellow American Tyler Hamilton was 89th. Jan Ullrich of Germany was 38th.

Yellow Jersey: Norwegian sprint specialist Thor Hushovd of Credit Agricole.

Quote of the Day: "In the last 20 to 30 kilometers, the pace really picks up and everybody fights. All etiquette is out the door. You do what you can — you scratch, and bite, and do whatever" — Levi Leipheimer, an American rider for Rabobank.

Next Stage: A 130.2-mile ride from Waterloo, Belgium, to Wasquehal, France, that features two stretches of hazardous cobblestones.