Frenchman Jalabert Surges to Lead

Lance Armstrong slipped 24 seconds off the lead in the Tour de France Tuesday, but it could have been worse. If not for a penalty on the leading team, Armstrong would have been 44 seconds back.

Led by Laurent Jalabert, who became the overall leader, the Once team had eight of the top 10 finishers in the time trail, 43 miles from Nantes to the Atlantic port of Saint Nazaire, in 1 hour 25 minutes 35 seconds.

But Jalabert and the other Once racers had 20 seconds added to their finishing times because Mario Saiz, the team manager, was ruled to have pulled his car beside a member of a team to shield him from strong winds on a bridge.

So while Jalabert maintained his 12-second overall lead over teammate David Canada, Armstrong jumped from fourth to third, 24 seconds behind the leader. Before the penalty, he was 44 seconds back. Once’s Abraham Olano was moved from third to fourth overall.

Armstrong’s U.S. Postal team was second in the time trial. Jan Ullrich’s Deutsche Telekom finished third.

Britain’s David Millar, who held the leader’s yellow jersey since Saturday’s opening individual time trial, slipped to 24th.

Jalabert’s ascension was the first time since Laurent Desbiens in 1998 that a Frenchman wore the yellow jersey as race leader.

“This stage was very important to us,” Jalabert said. “We were meticulous down to the last detail. If you start a stage like this full of fear it’s difficult to get anywhere. If you’re confident it makes all the difference.”

Jalabert, who hadn’t won a stage at the Tour de France since 1995, pulled out of the 1998 race at the height of its doping scandal to protest police searches through the cyclists’ hotels for banned substances.

He then clashed with French authorities after refusing to undergo mandatory health checks, was excluded from the national team in 1999 and sat out last year’s Tour de France.

“It’s a new beginning,” he said of Tuesday’s victory. “I hope it lasts.”

Today’s race covers 125 miles from Vannes to Vitre in Brittany.

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Tour de France at a Glance

Tuesday’s fourth stage:

* STAGE: A 43-mile team time trial from Nantes to the Atlantic port of Saint-Nazaire.

* STAGE WINNER: Spanish team Once won the race in 1 hour 25 minutes 35 seconds. Once’s main rider, Laurent Jalabert, took the overall leader’s yellow jersey from Britain’s David Millar.

* HOW OTHERS FARED: Lance Armstrong’s U.S. Postal Service team was second, 46 seconds behind. Germany’s Jan Ullrich’s Deutsche Telekom was third. It appeared Jalabert would be leading Armstrong by 44 seconds overall. But each Once rider was deducted 20 seconds after the team manager was accused of shielding one of the team members from strong winds by pulling his car beside him.

* TOUR TIDBITS: It was the first time since Laurent Desbiens in 1998 that a Frenchman had worn the yellow jersey at the Tour.

* QUOTE OF THE DAY: “There was a block headwind all the way,” Credit Agricole’s Stuart O’Grady said. “Coming over the bridge was just hell.”

* NEXT STAGE: Today’s stage covers 125 miles from Vannes to Vitre in Brittany.