Armstrong Holds Lead; Fan Favorite Crashes

A native son rode without fear, a large and soggy Tour de France crowd roaring his name as he pedaled recklessly into his home town.

But instead of being the toast of France, Christophe Mengin skidded wildly out of control as he turned the final corner in Thursday’s sixth stage. His only reward for a hard day’s ride, then, was a black eye and the feeling that he looked more like a boxer than a cyclist.

On a day darkened by low clouds and downpours, Tour contender Alexandre Vinokourov also set caution aside, racing hard behind Mengin and needing to put a foot down to avoid crashing himself. But Vinokourov stayed upright and his bravado helped him finish second to Italy’s Lorenzo Bernucci and gain 19 seconds on overall leader Lance Armstrong. Vinokourov, a T-Mobile rider from Kazakhstan, moved from seventh to third, now 1:02 behind Armstrong.

Armstrong still wears the leader’s yellow jersey and holds a 55-second lead over Discovery Channel teammate George Hincapie, who is second.

Armstrong’s one-word response when asked what he had to say about Vinokourov’s ride was telling. “Nothing,” he said.

Safety first has always been Armstrong’s motto in these early, unpredictable stages. The 33-year-old Texan hasn’t won a record six consecutive Tours because he takes thoughtless chances or puts his teammates in danger by dashing willy-nilly into tight corners or pushing limits when it isn’t necessary.

His rolling eyes and firm tone made that “Nothing” into a complete statement, though. Armstrong was not going to act macho on a scary, rainy day when taking big chances can result in big falls. Was Vinokourov’s gain worth it? No answer was needed from Armstrong.

Still, Vinokourov, who pushed Armstrong hard in the mountains two years ago (he missed last year’s Tour with a shoulder injury), made sure Armstrong noticed him.

But the day was ruined for the French fans when 36-year-old Mengin, a 10-year pro whose one other moment of glory was a Tour stage win in 1997, came blazing around the final corner, about 700 meters from the finish, and had his bike slip away on white paint in a crosswalk.

Mengin had begun the day in 142nd place and with no hope of any other glory. But he told French television before the stage that he expected his local knowledge of the roads might help. Mengin attacked early and rode at the front for miles. Yet even knowing the twists and turns didn’t help Mengin when he flew around the corner and off the bike.

“I didn’t have great legs today,” Mengin told French reporters, “but I had the courage to try something. That’s life. You have to give 100% when you’ve got the chance.”

About five other riders landed on Mengin, but Vinokourov and Bernucci sneaked through. Bernucci, 25, from Bassa Bortolo, a Tour de France rookie, won the stage in 4 hours 12 minutes 52 seconds and afterward said, “I was lucky.”

Vinokourov, 31, who seldom speaks, said he did not make his attack carelessly. “I picked my moment and would have won the stage if [Mengin] hadn’t crashed,” he said. “When he went down I had to brake and take a foot off the pedal.”

American Fred Rodriguez, who rides for Davitamon, said the last corner “was like ice.”

Armstrong said his Discovery Channel teammates learned by radio that there was a pileup near the finish. “You get behind a crash like that, you just pick your way through it,” he said. “It wasn’t pretty.”

The mood around the finish line was somber as word of the London bombings was spread. Before today’s 142-mile stage, from Luneville in France to Karlsruhe in Germany, a moment of silence will be observed for the victims. Over a million fans are expected over the final 27 miles in cycling-mad Germany.

For Armstrong, who finished 32nd in Thursday’s stage, the goal is to lead his team safely through three more tricky flat stages, into Monday’s rest day and then into the Alps and the mountain climbs next week.

“Just stay safe,” he said. “That’s what we need to do.”

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

STAGE 6 AT A GLANCE

* Stage: A mostly flat, 123.7-mile trek from Troyes to Nancy, raced on slippery roads because of heavy rain.

* Winner: Lorenzo Bernucci, Italy, Fassa Bortolo, won in 4 hours 12 minutes 52 seconds.

* How others fared: Alexandre Vinokourov, Kazakhstan, T-Mobile, placed second in the same time; Robert Forster, Germany, Gerolsteiner, was 7 seconds behind in third place. Six-time Tour champion Lance Armstrong of Discovery Channel crossed the line in 32nd place.

* Yellow jersey: Armstrong retains the overall lead.

* Quote of the day: “It wasn’t pretty today.” -- Armstrong said of the slippery roads that caused a crash near the finish.

* On the web: For more information on the Tour de France, including Diane Pucin’s blog, photo galleries and up-to-the-minute standings, please visit latimes.com/tour.

*--* OVERALL LEADERS STAGE 6 RESULTS 1. Lance Armstrong, U.S. 17:58:11 1. Lorenzo Bernucci, Italy 4:12:52 2. George Hincapie, U.S. :55 behind 2. Alexandre Vinokourov 4:12:52 3. Alexandre Vinokourov, Kazakhstan 3. Robert Forster, Germany 1:02 behind 4:12:59 4. Jens Voigt, Germany 1:04 behind 4. Angelo Furlan, Italy 4:12:59 5. Bobby Julich, U.S. 1:07 behind 5. Thor Hushovd, Norway 4:12:59 *--*