Armstrong Withdraws With Cold

Complaining of a worsening cold and possible bronchitis, Lance Armstrong pulled out of the Tour de France one-third of the way into Friday’s rain-drenched sixth stage.

Stephane Heulot of France held his overall lead after the stage, which was won by Dutchman Michael Boogerd. Heulot has led for three days.

Armstrong, a U.S. Olympic cyclist, had fallen about two minutes behind the main pack when he pulled out. He was 51st in the overall standings at the time.

“I think I’ve got bronchitis and even if the Olympics weren’t coming up, I’d still have abandoned because I’m feeling so bad,” said Armstrong, 24, who is given a chance at a gold medal in the Olympic road race July 31.

“I don’t know what we’re going to do. We’ve got to find out what’s wrong first,” said a scratchy-voiced Armstrong.

Poor weather has plagued the Tour de France since its start, June 29, with rain and heavy winds every day. Forecasters said there was a chance of snow today when the race heads into the French Alps.

Motorola team manager Jim Ochowicz denied Armstrong pulled out to save his strength for the Olympics, when professional cyclists will compete for the first time.

“That doesn’t have anything to do with it,” Ochowicz said. “The weather has been a big problem for us. Lance felt some bronchitis coming on last night. He doesn’t stop unless there’s a reason.”

Armstrong’s departure is a big loss to the team, racing in its last Tour under the Motorola name. The company announced in May it was ending its five-year sponsorship of America’s top cycling team.

Armstrong went down in a minor spill in Thursday’s fifth stage. He wasn’t seriously injured and finished with the main pack.

There was some pushing and shoving between riders as they scrambled to get back on the bikes, with Armstrong pushing French rider Gilles Bouvard. Armstrong said nothing about it after the race, and Ochowicz downplayed the incident.

“It looked like any other crash, nothing out of the ordinary--just a bunch of guys picking up their bikes,” he said.

Boogerd’s victory came in a 128.3-mile run from Arc-et-Senans to Aix-les-Bains, featuring the first challenging climbs in the 21-stage race.

Boogerd pulled away in the final stretch and nearly slipped in the last curve. He hung on for his first tour stage win, edging Germany’s Erik Zabel and France’s Laurent Jalabert. He was clocked in 5 hours 5 minutes 38 seconds.

Five-time defending champion Miguel Indurain finished with the main pack and was eighth overall, 4 minutes 17 seconds behind. He is trying for a record sixth Tour victory. Only Indurain, Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault have won five each.