Tour De France: Armstrong in the Lead Again

Victory here at record speed in yesterday's team time trial stage of the Tour de France installed Lance Armstrong in the yellow jersey for the first time this year, marking a major step forward in the Texan cyclist's quest for the perfect exit from his sport.

The six times winner may relinquish the lead during today's flat stage across central France to Montargis. If he does so, however, it will be on his own terms, and to a fellow competitor - perhaps a team-mate - of his own choosing, in the knowledge that he is likely to regain the maillot jaune when the race reaches the Alps next week.

Armstrong said yesterday that his Discovery Channel squad may strike up an alliance with the team-mates of the Belgian sprinter Tom Boonen, who won the first two road race stages of the Tour on Sunday and Monday.

"He's that much faster than the others, he's young and ambitious and I can see him lying in bed saying, 'I want to win six or seven stages.' We may look to them for help," said Armstrong.

The American's accession to the yellow jersey came after his compatriot David Zabriskie, who had defended the race lead since winning Saturday's time trial, crashed heavily just under a mile from the line, losing 1min 28sec and slipping to ninth overall.

The crash robbed Zabriskie and his CSC team-mates of a possible stage win, as they were neck and neck with Armstrong's Discovery men having led at both checkpoints before Discovery fought back strongly in the final kilometres.

They had just come out of a series of bends through the streets of Blois, and were descending at 40mph towards the Loire when the yellow jersey lost control of his bike. He slid down the road on his left side, cutting his arms, chest and legs, and possibly breaking ribs.

CSC's Tour leader Ivan Basso narrowly missed crashing over his prone form, and when Zabriskie remounted he was unable to pedal properly. He crossed the line alone, with his left leg dangling limply and his yellow jersey torn and stained with black tarmac.

"I'm extremely disappointed because we were very, very close to winning the stage and I was close to keeping the yellow jersey," Zabriskie said. A team spokesman said last night that no bones were broken and Zabriskie would resume this morning subject to further tests on his knee.