Esch-Sur-alzette, Luxembourg – Norway’s Thor Hushovd reclaimed the overall Tour de France lead from George Hincapie today during a sweltering ride in which Australia’s Robbie McEwen captured the second stage in a sprint finish.
Hincapie, the fourth American to wear the leader’s yellow jersey in the 103-year history of the Tour, dropped to fourth overall.
Belgium’s Tom Boonen is second and McEwen third.
McEwen, a sprinter from the Davitamon-Lotto team, was followed by Boonen in the 137-mile stage. Hushovd was third after his left shoe popped out of its pedal in the final stretch.
This was the ninth stage victory in nine Tours for McEwen. He is trying to win the green jersey as the three-week race’s best sprinter, a title he captured in 2002 and 2004.
The route from Obernai in eastern France was the second-longest stage in this year’s race. Riders had to withstand intense sunshine, with road temperatures climbing to nearly 122 degrees.
“It makes a long hard day. You have to drink a lot,” McEwen said.
Hushovd rebounded from an accident Sunday in which his right arm was sliced open by a large cardboard hand that a fan was holding over the safety barriers. He needed stitches and said today it was hard to move his arm.
But in the final sprint “you forget the pain,” he said. “I’ve got the yellow jersey. I can’t complain.” Race officials began restricting giveaways near the finish line of the large green hands, which are given to spectators as a promotion.
Hushovd, the green jersey winner of the last Tour, took the race lead Saturday, beating Hincapie by fractions of a second in the opening prologue time trial. But shrewd riding by Hincapie on Sunday helped the former teammate of Lance Armstrong take the yellow jersey from Hushovd – if only for a day.
Hushovd got it back today by collecting bonus seconds in sprints along the route and for his third-place finish. He now hoped to keep it at least until the first long time trial of this Tour on Saturday.
“I wanted to get it back,” he said.
Hincapie said he wasn’t disappointed that he lost the yellow jersey.
“It was great, a really special feeling, something I’ve always wanted to do,” Hincapie said. “To have it for a day is a big accomplishment for me.” “We rode and we hoped that we’d have a little luck and be able to keep it today, but that wasn’t the case – the sprinters were obviously trying real hard to get it back, and they got it back,” he added.
Hushovd most likely will not be wearing the yellow jersey into Paris when the Tour ends July 23 because he struggles in the mountains, which come later in the race.
At one point during the stage, Hushovd drifted back to a race doctor because of a stomach ache from medication he was taking as a result of the accident.
There was bumping and jostling between McEwen and Hushovd in the final dash to the line. McEwen said the powerful Norwegian’s front wheel brushed against his left shoe. The two riders talked things over.
“We’re still friends,” McEwen said.
“It wasn’t his fault,” said Hushovd. “That’s just a sprint – things happen.” McEwen called the stage victory “very special,” adding he remembers each one.
“Every year you have to prove yourself again and again,” he said, noting he recently turned 34. “I haven’t slowed down yet.” Danilo Di Luca of Italy became the first rider to drop out of the race because of what his Liquigas team said was a prostate problem and high fever. In a couple of crashes, three riders were left with scrapes and bruises and Paxti Vila Errandonea of Spain injured his lower back.
