Fall Hinders Armstrong

Two of Lance Armstrong’s teammates tumbled during Thursday’s team time trial, hurting his chances for a third Tour de France title.

Armstrong was at the head of a nine-man pack when Christian Vande Velde veered suddenly to the right and fell, taking teammate Roberto Heras down on the rain-soaked road.

The seven remaining riders continued, but their pace dropped off, destroying the American squad’s chances of winning the stage between Verdun and Bar-le-Duc in eastern France.

Vande Velde fell 12 miles from the finish, not long after a persistent drizzle turned into a downpour.

“I saw very professional behavior by the team,” said Johan Bruyneel, U.S. Postal’s sports director. “They stayed calm. At the end, we saw the team finish very strong.”

Still, the fourth-place finish behind the French team Credit Agricole left Armstrong 15th in the standings after five of 20 stages of the world’s premier cycling event.

But the Texan remains the favorite to win. He can regain lost time by doing well in the mountain stages that begin Tuesday.

Today’s sixth stage takes riders on a hilly, 131.34-mile stretch from Commercy, in Lorraine, to Strasbourg, in neighboring Alsace.

Australian Stuart O’Grady kept the leader’s yellow jersey for a third consecutive day after the 41.61-mile stage. O’Grady, who rides for Credit Agricole, has a total time of 20 hours 54 minutes 21 seconds.

He leads teammate Jens Voigt of Germany by 26 seconds. Another teammate, American Bobby Julich, is an additional second back. Armstrong is behind by 1:53.

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At A Glance

A look at Thursday’s fifth stage of the 88th Tour de France:

* Stage--A 41.61-mile team time trial from Verdun, in Eastern France, to Bar-le-Duc.

* Winning team--Credit Agricole, France; 1 hour 21 minutes 32 seconds.

* How others fared--The U.S. Postal Service team, featuring two-time defending champion Lance Armstrong, was fourth, finishing 1:26 behind Credit Agricole. Australia’s Stuart O’Grady kept the overall leader’s yellow jersey for a third day.

* Quote of the day--”It could have been a lot worse,” said U.S. Postal service sports director Johan Bruyneel after the team lost time when two of its riders crashed in the rain 12 miles from the finish.

* Next stage--Today’s stage is 131.34 miles from Commercy to Strasbourg.