Namur, Belgium — Shot like a rocket from the stampeding pack, Robbie McEwen of Australia sprinted to victory Monday in a crash-filled second stage of the Tour de France.
Lance Armstrong, playing it safe, kept his drive for a record sixth Tour victory on track by placing comfortably down the field, in 85th place. Rivals aiming to dethrone the five-time champion also hung back from the mad dash by sprinters at the front. Armstrong's biggest threat, 1997 Tour winner Jan Ullrich, finished 38th, in the same time as the Texan.
As the pack bore down on the last corner, McEwen burst through a gap with a burst of speed. He pumped his arms as he clinched his fourth stage win in seven Tours, and his first since 2002.
McEwen beat Thor Hushovd of Norway into second. But Hushovd, who was third in another sprint finish Sunday, still secured the overall race lead and the coveted yellow jersey that goes with it.
Robbie McEwen of Australia reacts as he crosses the finish to win the second stage of the 91st Tour de France cycling race. (Laurent Rebours/AP)
"Everything was on automatic," said 32-year-old McEwen, second in Sunday's sprint. "I won't say it was easy but it went really nicely."
Armstrong is fourth overall, but will look to take the lead later in the three-week race. Ullrich is 15 seconds behind in 17th place.
There were several crashes on Monday's stage run under cloud-broken sunny skies — including a dramatic spill in the hazardous final mass sprint that took down French rider Jimmy Casper and Norway's Kurt-Asle Arvesen. They suffered cuts and bruises.
Gian Matteo Fagnini's Tour ended with a spill 41 kilometres from the finish of the 197-kilometre route from Charleroi to Namur in Belgium, with a midway detour into neighbouring France.
The Italian rider for the Domina Vacanze squad injured his collarbone and was taken to a hospital.
Spills, wind, and the threat of breakaways fill the first week with worry for Armstrong and rivals saving themselves for the mountains and later time trials.
"It's really stressful. In the last 20 to 30 kilometres 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," said American rider Levi Leipheimer, who sits 13th overall.
To keep Armstrong safe, his U.S. Postal Service squad generally designates two teammates to stay with him during each stage, said Postal veteran George Hincapie.
Hincapie, competing in his ninth Tour, and Viatcheslav Ekimov, a Russian on his 14th Tour, take over the bodyguard role for final 20 kilometres, 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," said Hincapie, 86th on Monday alongside Armstrong.
Tuesday could be another day of spills, with cambered cobblestone paths some riders are dreading. The weather forecast is for broken sunshine, which is good because the paving, always tricky, is treacherous when wet.
"Everybody's concerned," said Hincapie. "It's going to be a little technical stage and a lot can be lost."
The two cobbled sections come in the second half of the mostly flat 210-kilometre stage from Waterloo, Belgium, to the northern French town of Wasquehal. The route should again favour sprinters or riders who brave a breakaway ahead of the main pack.
The first cobbled section runs for 2.8 bone-shaking kilometres. The second, 25 kilometres from the finish, is 1.1 kilometres long and also forms part of the Paris-Roubaix race, a gruelling classic known as "The Hell of the North."
Punctures, crashes, crowds are all potential hazards. Some say the cobblestones have no place in the Tour and could spoil the race if they unseat a top rider. Lighter riders especially risk being thrown around.
"It's too risky," said Dirk Demol, assistant sporting director for Armstrong's squad.
Danish team CSC plans to fit slightly wider wheels with more grip and have people roadside armed with spares for any punctures, said spokesman Brian Nygaard. Top CSC rider Ivan Basso, an outside contender for the Tour title, has never competed on cobblestones before, although the team scouted both sections twice last week, he added.
Riders "don't like it. The element of chance is too big," said Nygaard. "If you have a puncture there and have to wait two minutes for a spare your Tour could be over."
Armstrong rival Tyler Hamilton, who suffered a double-fractured collarbone in a crash on Day Two of the last Tour, also ordered wider wheels for his team, their mechanic said.
Hamilton says he would have not have included the stones had he designed the route.
"But that's what bike racing is all about, different terrain, mountains, flat stages, crosswinds and, this year, cobblestones," he said. "We'll obviously try to stay toward the front and try to stay upright, obviously. Our goal for that day is just safety."
