ATS Sports Blog

Lance Armstrong stayed in 3rd place at the Tour de France on Thursday, battling back to the main bunch…even with a punctured tire with about 37 miles left.

Teammate Alberto Contador of Spain remained in second place and Rinaldo Nocentini of Italy kept the yellow jersey on a day when Nicki Sorensen of Denmark won the 12th stage.

“Up and down all day long and was aggressive from the start,” Armstrong said on Twitter.

Sorensen finished 48 seconds ahead of Laurent Lefevre of France.  This was the first time the 34-year-old won a Tour de France stage.

“It’s a big thing for me to perform at this level at this age,” he said. “I started bike racing when I was 19 and I always hoped that I could maybe go on for many years, and I think it shows today that it is possible.”

Armstrong, the seven-time champion, rejoined the main pack after his mishap during the 131-mile ride from Tonnerre to Vittel. He pulled over to the side of the road while his team repaired a punctured back wheel. After a few moments, four teammates helped him catch up.

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• Tyler Farrar finishes second in Tour de France stage (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Armstrong in 3rd Spot in Tour de France (abcnews.go.com)
• Why France still loves Le Tour (guardian.co.uk)

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