Australia again

Cooke wins second stage of the Tour de France

Cooke: "I don't understand what's going on. It's incredible." AP

SEDAN, France (AP) -- Australian Baden Cooke won the second stage of the Tour de France on Monday, in a fierce final sprint after a long, hot trek across the French countryside. U.S. star Lance Armstrong finished in the bulk of the pack at 54th, as planned.

"It's incredible. I can't believe it. I don't understand what's going on. It's incredible," Cooke said after crossing the finish line at Sedan, a town on the border with Belgium. It was the 24-year-old sprinter's first stage win on the Tour. Last year, he finished 127th overall.

Cooke was the second Australian to win a race since the Tour started Saturday. His countryman and Fdjeux.com teammate, Bradley McGee, won the prologue time trial on Saturday.

McGee finished Monday's stage in 52nd place, close enough to Cooke to retain the coveted yellow jersey awarded to the overall Tour leader.

French rider Jean-Patrick Nazon, of the Jean Delatour team, was second Monday, just ahead of Estonian Jaan Kirsipuu. He rides for AG2R Prevoyance. (Full Results | Overall Standings)

Cycling superstar Lance Armstrong, who is aiming for a record-tying fifth win, achieved his main goal for the stage: staying out of trouble. He was 54th on Monday.

Overall, Armstrong was lying 10th, just 11 seconds from McGee. Jan Ullrich, the 1997 winner and a key rival of Armstrong's, was 5th overall, just five seconds ahead of the 31-year-old Texan.

Armstrong hopes to start leaving rivals behind in the team time trial on Wednesday and in the mountains later in the Tour.

American Tyler Hamilton had a remarkable ride Monday, completing the 204.5-kilometer (126.8-mile) route despite having fractured his collarbone the day before in a crash involving about 35 riders. Hamilton finished 100 out of the 196 riders on Monday, and was lying eighth overall.

Two riders injured in Sunday's crash, Marc Lotz of the Netherlands and U.S. cyclist Levi Leipheimer, were unable to race Monday.

The stage started at La Ferte-sous-Jouarre, east of Paris. Cooke took 5 hours, 6 minutes and 33 seconds to cover the route, cycling at an average speed of 40 kilometers an hour (25 miles per hour).

The riders pedaled past the contrasting landscapes of the Champagne region -- trees in different shades of green along gently rolling hills, alternating with horizontal fields or grassy stretches of land. As they rode through the rustic towns that hug the route, spectators cheered, waved, and took snapshots.

 

Related information

Stories

2003 Tour de France Index

Multimedia

Visit Video Plus for the latest audio and video