MSNBC - Armstrong gives up overall Tour lead
Armstrong gives up overall Tour lead
Voigt takes yellow jersey in stage 9; six-time champ not concerned
BREAKING NEWS
The Associated Press
Updated: 11:36 a.m. ET July 10, 2005MULHOUSE, France - Lance Armstrong gave up the overall lead in the Tour de France on Sunday, allowing Germany�s Jens Voigt to wear the yellow jersey while the six-time champion prepares to scale the mighty Alps.
Armstrong finished 28th in the ninth stage and dropped to third overall, 2 minutes, 18 seconds behind Voigt. The Texan, seeking a seventh straight Tour victory before he retires, had been in front for five days.
Armstrong does not regard Voigt as a main contender in the Tour. Letting the German take the leader�s yellow jersey off his shoulders allowed Armstrong to head into the Alps, which start on Tuesday after a rest day on Monday, without worrying about having to defend the lead.
Danish racer Mickael Rasmussen took his first career Tour stage victory with a gutsy solo ride. Sunday's 106.3-mile route from Gerardmer and Mulhouse in eastern France took the riders over six climbs, and Rasmussen was first over them all.
Team CSC rider Voigt crossed the line 3:04 seconds behind Rasmussen with French rider Christophe Moreau � good enough to take the overall race lead from Armstrong.
Armstrong finished in a pack with his main rivals several minutes behind Voigt and Moreau, now 1:50 behind in second.
Because they finished together in a group, the time differences between Armstrong and his main rivals - Jan Ullrich, Ivan Basso and Alexandre Vinokourov, remained unchanged. Their competition is expected to begin in earnest in the Alps. Ullrich finished 29th on Sunday, Vinokourov 35th and Basso 39th.
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