Zabel Wins Stage; Armstrong in Hunt

Erik Zabel passed Lance Armstrong in the closing sprint Tuesday and won the third stage of the Tour de France.

Armstrong, who finished 10th, is trying to win the Tour for the third year in a row. The Texan led the main pack briefly in the final half-mile, but Zabel rode by him from the left and stayed in front until the finish.

The German completed the 123.27 miles from Antwerp in northern Belgium to this southern town in 4 hours 34 minutes 32 seconds.

Zabel also won Sunday’s first stage.

France’s Emmanuel Magnien was second, followed by Italy’s Stefano Garzelli.

Australia’s Stuart O’Grady was credited with the same time and claimed the yellow jersey as the race’s overall leader. Marc Wauters finished more than 6 1/2 minutes behind and relinquished the overall lead.

Armstrong, also credited with the same finishing time as the top riders, moved from 11th to seventh overall and trails O’Grady by 21 seconds.

Another American, Bobby Julich, is sixth.

Armstrong didn’t seem concerned that he isn’t leading.

“Not having the yellow jersey means we don’t have to control the race,” he said.

Armstrong entered Seraing close to the front of the main pack and edged ahead for a few seconds in the final stretch.

It was a rare example of a sprint-finish from Armstrong, who is familiar with the hilly roads in this part of Belgium. He finished second in the local Liege-Bastogne-Liege race, the world’s oldest cycling classic.

The U.S. Postal Service team rider is expected to make his mark once the grueling three-week Tour moves to the Alps and the Pyrenees at the halfway point.

Armstrong’s main rival for the Tour championship is expected to be 1997 champion Jan Ullrich of Germany. Ullrich finished 13th and is in ninth place, three seconds behind Armstrong.

Tuesday’s route began in Belgium’s flat Flanders region, where Flemish is the main language, and ended in the steep Ardennes hills in the French-speaking south of the country.

Cows galloped through meadows at the sight of the 187 riders and their accompanying cars and motorbikes whizzing past.

Fans turned out in large numbers to greet the cyclists as they climbed the wooded hills of the Ardennes, sometimes patting them on the back as they slowly rode upward.