Day of Crashes Stirs Up Tour

While Lance Armstrong played it safe, Robbie McEwen sprinted to victory Monday in a crash-filled second stage of the Tour de France.

Armstrong kept his drive for a record sixth consecutive Tour victory on track by placing comfortably down in the field -- along with several key rivals -- in 85th place.

Armstrong’s biggest threat, 1997 Tour winner Jan Ullrich, finished 38th, in the same time as the Texan.

Armstrong is in fourth place overall, 18 seconds behind leader Thor Hushovd of Norway.

As the pack of riders bore down on the finish, McEwen used a burst of speed to get to the front and raised his arms in victory as he crossed the line. Such mass sprints are always hazardous, and this one took out two riders who crashed in the last few hundred yards.

McEwen beat second-place Hushovd in the 122.4-mile route from Charleroi to Namur, with a small detour into neighboring France. But Hushovd, who was third in another sprint finish Sunday, still secured the overall lead and the coveted yellow jersey.

“Everything was on automatic,” McEwen said. “I won’t say it was easy, but it went really nicely.”

Spills, wind and the threat of breakaways fill the first week with stress for Armstrong and his rivals, who are saving themselves for their duels in the mountains and later time trials.

“It’s really stressful. In the last 20 to 30 kilometers, the pace really picks up and everybody fights,” said American rider Levi Leipheimer, 13th overall, of the final 15 to 20 miles. “All etiquette is out the door. You do what you can -- you scratch and bite and do whatever.”

To keep the five-time champion safe, his U.S. Postal Service squad generally designates two teammates to stay with Armstrong during each stage, Postal veteran George Hincapie said.

Hincapie, competing in his ninth Tour, and Viatcheslav Ekimov, a Russian on his 14th Tour, usually take over the bodyguard role for final 12 miles, when the pack is speeding to the line.

“We keep him out of the wind, keep him from going too far behind, just keep him in a good position all day -- with as little energy expenditure as possible,” Hincapie said.

There were several crashes during the stage run under sunny skies. One came just 14 miles from the finish when a pack of riders caught up to six cyclists who had led most of the stage.

For Gian Matteo Fagnini, the Tour ended with a crash 25 miles from the finish. The Italian rider for the Domina Vacanze squad injured his collarbone and was taken to a hospital. Other riders caught up in the spill rejoined the race.

Today could be another day of thrills and spills, with two sections of cobblestone paths that some riders are dreading. The weather forecast is for sunshine, a good sign for riders since the paving can become treacherous when wet.

“Everybody’s concerned,” Hincapie said. “It’s going to be a little technical stage, and a lot can be lost.”

Both cobblestone sections come in the second half of the mostly flat 130-mile stage from Waterloo, Belgium, to the northern French town of Wasquehal. The route should again favor sprinters or riders who brave a breakaway ahead of the main pack.

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At a Glance

The second stage of the 91st Tour de France:

* Stage: A relatively flat 122.4-mile stage from Charleroi, Belgium, to Namur along dry roads and under cloud patches that produced no rain.

* Winner: Australia’s Robbie McEwen of Lotto-Domo team, after a sprint finish.

* How others fared: 178 others finished in a pack with the same time as McEwen. Lance Armstrong was 85th, and fellow American Tyler Hamilton was 89th. Jan Ullrich of Germany was 38th.

* Yellow jersey: Norwegian sprint specialist Thor Hushovd of Credit Agricole.

Quote of the Day: “In the last 20 to 30 kilometers, the pace really picks up and everybody fights. All etiquette is out the door. You do what you can -- you scratch, and bite, and do whatever.” -- Levi Leipheimer, an American rider for Rabobank.

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OVERALL STANDINGS

*--* 1. Thor Hushovd Norway Credit Agricole 9:05:42 2. Fabian Cancellara Switzerland Fassa Bortolo 8 seconds behind 3. Robbie McEwen Australia Lotto-Domo 17 seconds behind 4. Lance Armstrong U.S. USPS 18 seconds behind 5. Jens Voigt Germany Team CSC 23 seconds behind

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