Lyon, July 12: Alessandro Petacchi sprinted to his fourth stage win of this year's Tour de France on Friday when he won the 230-km sixth stage from Nevers to Lyon. The Italian emerged from the bunch yet again on Friday (July 11) after they had reeled in Australian Stuart O'Grady and Frenchman Anthony Geslin, who had led for nearly 200km, in the last 500 metres. But while Petacchi will rightly take the laurels for a tremendous first-week sprinting performance, race favourite Lance Armstrong will be quietly delighted to have reached the foot of the Alps perfectly poised to launch his challenge for a fifth successive victory. Whereas the American is usually lagging behind the other leading contenders before the first mountain stage, he will this time tackle the first big climb with a comfortable lead over his rivals. The Texan took it easy in the long 230-km ride from Nevers, finishing a comfortable 39th to remain one place and one second behind race-leading team mate Victor Hugo Pena of Colombia in the overall standings.


Armstrong knows that Saturday's longest Tour stage to Morzine, half a kilometre longer than Friday but a whole lot harder, could be crucial. Most riders seemed to have the mountains in mind on Friday, apart from O'Grady and Geslin, who launched an attack after 35km.


In a terrific sustained effort they stretched their lead to 18 minutes, remaining clear for 194km, before being heartbreakingly caught in sight of the line. So for the fifth time in this Tour sprinters had the final say and for the fourth Petacchi spoke loudest, surging in the last 150 metres for an impressive win.


Attention now turns to the climbers and the big question is whether Armstrong will again stamp his authority on the race over the coming weekend in the Alps.


Armstrong leads last year's runner-up Joseba Beloki by 32 seconds and 1997 winner Jan Ullrich by 38 seconds. The other leading contenders are way behind: Colombian Santiago Botero is trailing by one minute 32 seconds while Italians Stefano Garzelli, Gilberto Simoni or Spaniard Iban Mayo will have to recover more than two minutes in the climbs.



In Saturday's ride to Morzine the riders will have to tackle the tricky La Ramaz pass, in which Armstrong was outshone by Basque Mayo in the recent Dauphine Libere race. Armstrong's U.S. Postal chief Johan Bruyneel admitted there would be, along with Mayo, other riders to watch like Ullrich, Beloki and Simoni but said the team had no fixed strategy for the mountains.


In recent Tours, the U.S. Postal "blue train", led in turn by various team riders, set an impressive pace in the climbs, dropping rivals one by one before Armstrong made his move.



Pena is therefore likely to return to his usual role as a "domestique" as Armstrong bids to end the first week in yellow.


Leading placings in Friday's sixth stage of the Tour de France, 225-km from Nevers to Lyon: 1. Alessandro Petacchi (Italy) Fassa Bortolo 5 hours 8 minutes 35 seconds 2. Baden Cooke (Australia) FDJeux.com 3. Fabrizio Guidi (Italy) Team Bianci 4. Thor Hushovd (Norway) Credit Agricole 5. Romans Vainsteins (Latvia) Vini Caldirola 6. Damien Nazon (France) Brioches 7. Sebastien Hinault (France) Credit Agricole 8. Gerrit Glomser (Austria) Saeco 9. Yuriy Krivtsov (Ukraine) Jean Delatour 10. Luca Paolini (Italy) Quick Step 11. Salvatore Commesso (Italy) Saeco 12. Pablo Lastras (Spain) iBanesto.com 13. Mikel Pradera (Spain) ONCE 14. Joseba Beloki (Spain) ONCE 15. Alexandre Botcharov (Russia) AG2R 16. Fred Rodriguez (U.S.) Vini Caldirola 17. Oscar Freire (Spain) Rabobank 18. Alexander Vinokourov (Kazakhstan) Team Telekom 19. Jan Ullrich (Germany) Team Bianchi 20. Stuart O'Grady (Australia) Credit Agricole 21. Michael Rogers (Australia) Quick Step 22. Bradley McGee (Australia) FDJeux.com 23. Jose Enrique Gutierrez (Spain) Kelme 24. Aitor Gonzalez (Spain) Fassa Bortolo 25. Haimar Zubeldia (Spain) Euskaltel 26. Javier Pascual Llorente (Spain) Kelme 27. Iban Mayo (Spain) Euskaltel 28. Leon Van Bon (Netherlands) Lotto 29. Sylvain Chavanel (France) Brioches 30. Franck Renier (France) Brioches all same time


Leading overall (yellow jersey) standings: 1. Victor Hugo Pena (Colombia) U.S. Postal Service 23 hours 3 minutes 6 seconds 2. Lance Armstrong (U.S.) U.S. Postal Service 1 second behind 3. Viatcheslav Ekimov (Russia) U.S. Postal Service 5 4. George Hincapie (U.S.) U.S. Postal Service same time 5. Jose Luis Rubiera (Spain) U.S. Postal Service 23 6. Roberto Heras (Spain) U.S. Postal Service 27 7. Pavel Padrnos (Czech Republic) U.S. Postal Service same time 8. Floyd Landis (U.S.) U.S. Postal Service 28 9. Joseba Beloki (Spain) ONCE 33 10. Joerg Jaksche (Germany) ONCE 38 11. Manuel Beltran (Spain) U.S. Postal Service 39 12. Jan Ullrich (Germany) Team Bianchi same time 13. Isidro Nozal (Spain) ONCE 44 14. Tobias Steinhauser (Germany) Team Bianchi 51 15. Mikel Pradera (Spain) ONCE 58 16. Angel Casero (Spain) Team Bianchi same time 17. Jose Azevedo (Portugal) ONCE 1:01 18. Marcos Serrano (Spain) ONCE 1:04 19. Vladimir Karpets (Russia) iBanesto.com 1:11 20. Laszlo Bodrogi (Hungary) Quick Step 1:12


King of the Mountains (polka-dot jersey) standings: 1. Christophe Mengin (France) FDJeux.com 20 points 2. Frederic Finot (France) Jean Delatour 18 3. Anthony Geslin (France) Brioches 15 4. Walter Beneteau (France) Brioches 11 5. Stuart O'Grady (Australia) Credit Agricole 10 6. Lilian Jegou (France) Credit Agricole 8 7. Andy Flickinger (France) AG2R 5 8. Paolo Bettini (Italy) Quick Step 5 9. Laszlo Bodrogi (Hungary) Quick Step 4 10. Jens Voigt (Germany) Credit Agricole 3


Leading points (green jersey) standings: 1. Alessandro Petacchi (Italy) Fassa Bortolo 144 points 2. Baden Cooke (Australia) FDJeux.com 118 3. Robbie McEwen (Australia) Lotto 110 4. Thor Hushovd (Norway) Credit Agricole 100 5. Erik Zabel (Germany) Team Telekom 98 6. Stuart O'Grady (Australia) Credit Agricole 91 7. Jean-Patrick Nazon (France) Jean Delatour 88 8. Luca Paolini (Italy) Quick Step 87 9. Jaan Kirsipuu (Estonia) AG2R 84 10. Oscar Freire (Spain) Rabobank 83


Leading team standings: 1. US Postal Service 66:32:30 2. ONCE 49 seconds behind 3. Team Bianchi 51 4. iBanesto.com 1:35 5. Quick Step 1:45


Leading (under 25) young rider (white jersey) standings: 1. Vladimir Karpets (Russia) iBanesto.com 23:04:17 2. Denis Menchov (Russia) iBanesto 8 seconds behind 3. Evgeni Petrov (Russia) iBanesto 10 4. Michael Rogers (Australia) Quick Step 19 5. Andy Flickinger (France) AG2R 27


Bureau Report