Tour de France Stage 12: Lance Armstrong recovers from tire trouble

Lance Armstrong avoided disaster in Thursday's 12th stage of the Tour de France after puncturing a back wheel tire with just 37 miles left in the 131-mile ride from Tonnerre to Vittel.

Armstrong was still third overall and riding comfortably in the main pack when a wheel-flat forced the seven-time Tour champion to the side of road for repairs as the pack sped away to Vittel.

Fortunately for Armstrong, his Astana teammates were right there to fix the punctured tire and help Armstrong catch up without suffering a significant loss.
"It is stressful with the crashes, on a stage like this where you have nothing to gain and then you lose everything because of a crash or a split in the group," Armstrong had warned before the start of the stage. "You have to pay attention and try to avoid a crash."

That is just what Armstrong did, despite the perilous puncture to his tire on the stage's final stretch. Armstrong remains in third, eight seconds off the lead of Italy's Rinaldo Nocentini, with the famous Alps mountain stages approaching.
Armstrong has historically excelled in the Alps, and is well within striking distance to overtake the yellow jersey.

Armstrong's teammate and budding rival Alberto Contador of Spain stayed in second place overall, six seconds off the lead. Nicki Sorensen of Demark won the stage for his first individual win at the Tour, finishing 48 seconds ahead of France's Laurent Lefevre.

source : www.nydailynews.com