Armstrong Fifth but Still on Top

Battling some of the toughest climbs of the Tour de France, Italian cyclist Giuseppe Guerini pedaled to victory in Wednesday’s 10th stage, blowing kisses to the sky.

But Lance Armstrong, the American who grabbed the spotlight with wins Sunday and Tuesday, retained the overall leader’s yellow jersey after Wednesday’s 136.7-mile leg.

The 27-year-old Texan finished fifth, 25 seconds behind Guerini. And, according to Dan Osipow, operations director for Armstrong’s U.S. Postal Service team, that was Armstrong’s goal--to hold on to the yellow jersey and conserve his strength, not to come in first.

“He did his damage [Tuesday],” Osipow said. “It’s fabulous. He’s at a level right now that he’s never reached.”

Only a year since Armstrong’s return to pro cycling after a life-threatening battle with testicular cancer that spread to his lungs and brain, his aim, Osipow said, is to “wear yellow in Paris” as cycling’s greatest race concludes with 11 laps on the Champs-Elysees on July 25.

But his rivals are not ready to give up yet. Russian Pavel Tonkov came in second in Wednesday’s stage, which snaked through small Alpine villages from the Italian ski town of Sestrieres to L’Alpe d’Huez in France. Spaniard Fernando Escartin claimed third place in the stage.

Armstrong leads Spaniard Abraham Olano overall by 7 minutes 42 seconds. Alex Zulle of Switzerland is five seconds behind Olano.

“The signs are that Alex Zulle and Pavel Tonkov are getting stronger, which is a sure sign that the race is not over yet,” Armstrong said.

In the last mile, a spectator almost robbed Guerini of his first-place finish. The Italian tumbled off his bike when he collided with a man bent over in the middle of the road trying to take his picture.

“I was very lucky, because I could have broken my collarbone with that idiot getting in the way,” Guerini said.

Greg LeMond, the last American to win the Tour, in 1990, admiringly watched Armstrong in Wednesday’s stage.

“It’s unbelievable what he’s doing,” said LeMond, a three-time Tour winner. “I think he’s even better than before.”

Perhaps galvanized by the celebrations of France’s national holiday, Bastille Day, Frenchmen Stephane Heulot and Thierry Bourguignon broke away from the pack and were in the lead until, visibly exhausted, they were overtaken by seven cyclists, including Armstrong.

Today the cyclists will ride from Le Bourg d’Oisans to Saint-Etienne.

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Tour de France

* 10th stage: A 136.7-mile route between Sestrieres, Italy, and the French ski resort of L’Alpe d’Huez.

* Winner: Italy’s Giuseppe Guerini, riding for Deutsche Telekom, won in 6 hours 42 minutes 31 seconds at average speed of 20.6 mph.

* Others: Russia’s Pavel Tonkov came in second, 21 seconds off pace. Spain’s Fernando Escartin was third for a second day. Switzerland’s Alex Zulle was fourth and Lance Armstrong fifth, just ahead of Frenchman Richard Virenque.

* Overall: Armstrong, holding yellow jersey, extended lead to a commanding 7 minutes 42 seconds. Spain’s Abraham Olano is second, Zulle third.

* Next stage: Le Bourg d’Oisans to Saint-Etienne, 124 miles, today.