Favorites Saving Their Energy

Lance Armstrong played it safe and preserved his energy for the mountains on a day when Christophe Agnolutto of France won the seventh stage of the Tour de France.

Armstrong, seeking to become the first rider to retain the title since Miguel Indurain in 1995, remained in 12th place Friday, 5:54 off the lead.

Agnolutto is the first French winner of a Tour leg since Jacky Durand in 1998. He withstood driving rain to win on the hilly 127-mile course from Tours to Limoges in central France. The AG2R rider easily won in 5 hours 11 minutes 41 seconds.

In the overall standings, Alberto Elli retains the yellow jersey. At 36, the Italian is the oldest rider to wear a yellow jersey since World War II, beating the 1963 mark of 35-year-old Spanish rider Federico Bahamontes.

Deutsche Telekom’s Elli is still 12 seconds ahead of Fabrice Gougot of France and 1:17 ahead of Belgium’s Marc Wouters.

Tour favorites stayed in the pack to conserve strength for the climbing stages.

Armstrong is just behind France’s Laurent Jalabert, who is 10th and 5:40 off the lead, with 1997 Tour champion Jan Ullrich in 22nd place, 6:37 behind Elli.

Agnolutto made a solo burst to the front in the 48th mile and held off his rivals until the finish. Germany’s Marcel Wust of Festina came in second, 1:19 behind, with countryman Erik Zabel of Deutsche Telekom in third.

“Three or four kilometers from the end I still had a lead of two minutes. It was such a relief to have that coming toward the end,” Agnolutto said.

Agnolutto’s most notable achievement since turning professional in 1996 was a stage win in the Tour of Switzerland three years ago.

On Friday, he won the hard way, attacking just when the rain began.

“When it rains, it is hard for everyone,” he said. “Today, things seemed to work better for me than for the rest.”

After the trip through Brittany and the Loire valley, the 175 remaining cyclists headed south to Limoges, a city of 230,000 in central France.

After 21 miles, they passed the striking medieval fortress of Loches, which was once owned by Richard the Lionhearted. By the halfway stage, Agnolutto had a lead of 3:40 and didn’t seem hampered by the rain.

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Tour de France at a Glance

Friday’s seventh stage of the 87th Tour de France:

* STAGE: A 127-mile race from Tours to Limoges in central France.

* STAGE WINNER: France’s Christophe Agnolutto, who led for 126 miles and won in 5 hours 11 minutes 41 seconds.

* HOW OTHERS FARED: Defending champion Lance Armstrong finished 20th, 1:11 behind the winner. France’s Laurent Jalabert and Jan Ullrich posted the same times.

* QUOTE OF THE DAY: Agnolutto: “During all the time I was ahead I was just thinking of my family and friends.”

* NEXT STAGE: Today’s eighth stage covers 126 miles from Limoges to Villeneuve-sur-Lot.