Despite trying to pay heed to Tour tradition, Lance Armstrong was "convinced" to wear the leader's yellow jersey in Stage 5. AP
	MAILBAG Austin Murphy will answer questions from SI.com users. Your name: Your e-mail address: Your home town: Enter your question:

There wasn't any blood on the streets or the leader board in today's fifth stage of the Tour. Which is to say, the standings of the race leaders remained unchanged after Tuesday's shakeup, which saw Lance Armstrong vault into the lead. Nor were there were any major crashes, such as the one that sent American Dave Zabriskie -- whom Armstrong relieved of the yellow jersey -- to the hospital with road rash all up his left side, badly bruised ribs, a hematoma on his left knee and a laceration on his left elbow that required stitches.

In the aftermath of that crash, out of respect for both Zabriskie and tour tradition, Armstrong decided not to wear the yellow jersey for Wednesday's stage, even though he leads the race by 55 seconds over his close friend and teammate, George Hincapie.

"I'm not going to roll out with the yellow jersey," Armstrong told the Outdoor Life Network's Craig Hummer before taking the start on a gray, windy day in Chambord. "I'm going to roll with a Discovery jersey." The Texan explained that after watching replays of the finish of Tuesday's team time trial, Discovery had concluded that, had he not crashed, Zabriskie "probably would've kept the jersey." As a show of respect to his former teammate, and in the interest, Armstrong added, of "honoring the history of this race" -- in which no one in some four decades has "acquired the yellow jersey through a crash ... we're going to honor the tradition and ride with the Discovery jersey."

Like hell you are, said Jean-Marie Leblanc, who is to the Tour what Paul Tagliabue is to the NFL. Upon getting wind of Armstrong's idea, he informed the six-time defending champion, as Armstrong would later tell Hummer, "If you don't start with that yellow jersey today, you're not starting tomorrow, at all."

Leblanc being one of the few guys on the planet who can tell Armstrong what to do -- two others that spring to mind are his team director, Johan Bruyneel and his mother, Linda -- Armstrong took the start in yellow. It was a strange look for the world's best cyclist; he wore the short-sleeved maillot jaune over a long-sleeved Discovery jersey, giving him the appearance of a tremendously fit weekend warrior. Even if Armstrong knew ahead of time that the Tour's poobahs would make him don yellow, it was a winning gesture, possibly designed to mend fences with Zabriskie and other ex-teammates, some of whom have left Armstrong's squad with a touch of acrimony and ill will.

Stage five was won in a sprint finish by Robbie McEwen, a fiery Australian who rides for Davitamon-Lotto. McEwen had been in a funk since race officials stripped him of his third-place finish two days ago, relegating him to 186th place and damaging his chances to win the green sprinter's jersey. McEwen had been seen leaning into countryman Stuart O'Grady -- incredibly (for they were traveling 40 m.p.h.) -- using his helmeted head to obstruct and slow his countryman, like a rugby player trying to ruck on to a maul. McEwen's defense: He started it!