Armstrong Loses Overall Tour de France Lead
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Lance Armstrong (search) lost his overall lead in the Tour de France to Thomas Voeckler (search) on Thursday, an honor the five-time champion willingly conceded — for now.
Withstanding rain-doused roads and high wind, Australia's Stuart O'Grady of Cofidis won the Tour's fifth stage with a sprint finish ahead of Voeckler and three other riders who broke early from the main pack and held on.
O'Grady thrust his arms in the air after winning a Tour de France (search) stage for the second time in his career. Denmark's Jakob Piil was second and France's Sandy Casar was third. Voeckler, the French champion, was fourth.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}At one point, the five-rider group built a lead as large as 17 minutes ahead of the pack on the 124.6-mile stage from Amiens to Chartres.
Mishaps — tire punctures, derailed chains and spills on rain-soaked roads — marred much of the course through bucolic wheat fields and rolling hills northwest of Paris.
Armstrong, seeking a record sixth straight Tour victory, captured the overall leader's yellow jersey a day earlier, thanks in part to a first-place performance in the team time trial by his U.S. Postal Service squad.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}But controlling the race lead so early brings pressures along with honors — and Armstrong's coach said the 32-year-old Texan was willing to give up the yellow jersey temporarily and focus on bigger threats.
"We can't kill the team for a breakaway by five people who aren't a threat in the overall classification," Postal sporting director Johan Bruyneel said. "I'm comfortable with the situation."