Armstrong Is Third After Prologue

Lance Armstrong finished third in the opening prologue of the Tour de France on Saturday, with the yellow jersey now belonging to a Frenchman.

Armstrong, going for a third consecutive title in cycling’s showcase event, was four seconds behind leader Christophe Moreau after the first day of the three-week race.

“I’m not disappointed,” Armstrong said. “I’ve been feeling very good the last few weeks and that’s what’s important.”

Armstrong was applauded by thousands of fans as he completed the 5.09-mile individual time trial through the streets of this port city.

The Texan was timed in 9 minutes 24 seconds, a second slower than Igor Gonzalez Galdeano of Spain.

As defending champion, Armstrong was last to start and wore the yellow jersey he soon would yield to Moreau, who finished fourth in last year’s Tour.

“It’s a gift from God that pushed me forward, that gave me strength and concentration until the end,” Moreau said. “I’ve got nothing to lose in the Tour anymore.”

Armstrong is trying to become the second American--after Greg LeMond--to win the Tour de France three times and the first to do it three years in a row.

“Lance Armstrong will still be the strongman and the man to beat,” Moreau said.

Jan Ullrich, the 1997 champion, finished fourth, seven seconds behind Moreau. Ullrich is considered Armstrong’s main rival for the title. France’s Florent Brard was a fraction of a second slower than the German and placed fifth.