BOLOGNA, Italy — Lance Armstrong has a new role: water boy.
The seven-time Tour de France champion went about his work Saturday, carrying a couple of bottles to his teammates late in the 14th stage of the Giro d’Italia.
“At that moment in the race, the whole team was with Levi (Leipheimer) and Lance was dropping back a little bit,” Astana team manager Johan Bruyneel said. “He wanted a Coke for himself. It was deep in the finale, so I told him, ‘Now that you’re here, take a bottle for yourself but bring a few bottles up there at least for Levi and maybe for Popo (Yaroslav Popovych).’ It was nice to see. Lance is definitely not the leader of the team. Levi is.”
Armstrong is still regaining his form after 3 1/2 years of retirement and breaking his collarbone in March. He dropped to 14th overall, 7 minutes, 28 seconds behind race leader Denis Menchov.
Leipheimer dropped three seconds to Menchov in an uphill finish but remained third overall, 43 seconds back. Leiphei- mer is riding with bandages on his left arm because of large cuts after a fall Wednesday.
“The last couple of days, I’m definitely sore from the crash,” Leipheimer said.
Simon Gerrans of Australia won the stage with a long breakaway, clocking 4 hours, 16 minutes, 48 seconds over the hilly 107-mile leg from Campi Bisenzio to Bologna.
Rubens Bertogliati of Switzerland was the runner-up, 12 seconds behind. Francesco Gavazzi of Italy was third, 18 seconds back. Armstrong finished 1:58 behind.
Gerrans was part of a 14-man group that that broke away from the main pack 7 1/2 miles into the stage. The Cervelo team rider left behind his final breakaway companions shortly before the finish.
Valverde is closing in
BARCELONA, Spain — Alejandro Valverde of Spain maintained his 15-second overall lead in the Volta of Catalunya after the next-to-last stage.
Thor Hushovd of Norway, riding for the Cervelo team, won the sixth stage by edging Fabio Sabatini of Italy and Greg Henderson of New Zealand in the final sprint of the 93.5 mile leg between Torredembarra and Barcelona. Hushovd, a sprint expert, finished in 3:26.43.
With one stage remaining, Valverde leads Daniel Martin of Ireland.
The Associated Press
