Thomas Voeckler wins stage, Lance Armstrong stays second

Armstrong finishes in the main field to remain less than a second off the lead following the fifth stage of the Tour de France.

July 09, 2009|ASSOCIATED PRESS; and Lauren Goldman

Thomas Voeckler of France claimed a solo victory in Wednesday's fifth stage, a 122-mile ride from Le Cap d'Agde to Perpignan.

Following a long breakaway, Voeckler made his move 3.1 miles from the finish to escape from a small group of riders.

For The Record
Los Angeles Times Friday, July 10, 2009 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 4 National Desk 1 inches; 37 words Type of Material: Correction
Tour de France: A chart in Thursday's Sports section on the Tour de France said that Barcelona, the destination of Thursday's sixth stage of the race, is the capital of Spain. Madrid is the capital of Spain.

Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland retained the leader's yellow jersey. Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong is second overall, with teammate Alberto Contador of Spain in third.

"I was chasing that victory for such a long time," said Voeckler, who wore the yellow jersey for nine days in 2004.

Mikhail Ignatiev finished second in the stage, while Mark Cavendish won the peloton's sprint to finish in third place.

Quote of the day: "That's my question mark, that's your question mark, that's everybody's question mark." -- Armstrong, on his ability to ride well in the upcoming mountain stages.

- ASSOCIATED PRESS

*--* STAGE 5 RESULTS 1. Thomas Voeckler, France 4:29:35 2. Mikhail Ignatiev, Russia :07 behind 3. Mark Cavendish, Britain same time 4. Tyler Farrar, United States same time 5. Gerald Ciolek, Germany same time *--*

*--* OVERALL STANDINGS 1. Fabian Cancellara, Switzerland 15:07:49 2. Lance Armstrong, United States same time 3. Alberto Contador, Spain :19 behind 4. Andreas Kloden, Germany :23 behind 5. Levi Leipheimer, United States :31 behind *--*

Today's stage: The sixth stage takes riders into Spain for a 112.8-mile ride across plains along Gerona to Barcelona.

Destination Barcelona: On the Mediterranean coast, Barcelona is the capital of Spain and its second largest city. Besides playing host to part of the Tour, Barcelona hosted the 1992 Summer Olympics. One of the most visited attractions in Barcelona is the Futbol Club Barcelona's stadium, Camp Nou, which seats nearly 100,000.

-- Lauren Goldman