Armstrong stays clear of harm, stands 10th

SEDAN, France -- Lance Armstrong finished in a pack behind winner Baden Cooke of Australia in the second stage of the Tour de France on Monday.

Armstrong, trying to win a record-tying fifth straight Tour, achieved his goal by staying out of trouble. The 31-year-old Texan finished 54th and was in 10th place overall, 11 seconds behind Bradley McGee. The Aussie retained the leader's yellow jersey with a 52nd-place finish.

Armstrong's finish came one day after 35 riders crashed toward the finish of the first full stage Sunday. Armstrong was not seriously injured.

Cooke won the stage in a final sprint after a long trek across the French countryside.

"I can't believe it. I don't understand what's going on. It's incredible," Cooke said after finishing at Sedan, a town bordering Belgium.

Cooke covered the 127-mile stage in 5 hours, 6 minutes, 33 seconds for his first Tour stage win. This was the sprinter's first stage win on the Tour. Last year, he was 127th overall.

"The final sprint was very, very dangerous. ... Every day you take your chances. Usually it doesn't work, but today it worked," Cooke said. "I've been thinking about winning a race like this all year."

Australians start strong

He was the second Australian to win a leg since the Tour started Saturday following McGee's victory in the prologue.

"There's an incredible spirit in the team," McGee said. "That's why we're working well together. On the Tour de France you need a good spirit because of all the stress."

French rider Jean-Patrick Nazon was second, just ahead of Estonian Jaan Kirsipuu. Jan Ullrich, the 1997 winner, was 21st and fifth overall.

American Tyler Hamilton broke his collarbone in Sunday's crash but finished 100th of 196 riders. He was eighth overall.

Two riders injured in Sunday's crash, Marc Lotz of the Netherlands and Levi Leipheimer of the United States, did not race.

Injured French rider Jimmy Casper rode the whole stage with a neck brace and finished 189th, 10 minutes behind Cooke.

"He's put on a very brave face to come out today," Cooke said.

For a while, it looked as if French rider Frederic Finot might take the stage. He and another rider broke away and at one point built a lead of more than 11 minutes over the pack.

The other rider, Lilian Jegou, finally dropped back, leaving Finot alone. He was finally caught by the pack 1 1/2 miles before the finish.

Monday's stage started at La Ferte-sous-Jouarre, east of Paris. 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 cyclists rode through the rustic towns that hug the route, spectators cheered, waved, and took snapshots.

Armstrong, aiming to match Spain's Miguel Indurain's record five straight wins (1991-95), is pointing to Wednesday's time trial. The 42-mile sprint is from Joinville to Saint-Dizier, with teams dashing off at five-minute intervals.

"It's a critical day," Armstrong said. "That day already starts to shape the race."