GUEUGNON, France — Lance Armstrong has his mind on the mountains.
The seven-time Tour de France champion is in 18th place after Friday’s stage, which was won by Mark Cavendish for his second straight sprint-finish victory. If Armstrong is going to make a move, it may come in the climbs.
The weather was hot — 95-degree heat — and some tempers even hotter for the 141.4-mile sixth stage from Montargis to Gueugnon. Two riders broke out into a bike wheel-whacking brawl after the finish line.
“Guys were suffering the whole stage,” Armstrong said.
Cavendish called the stage — the longest this year — his hardest ride so far.
“For us, these days are days when you can’t necessarily win the Tour, but you can certainly lose it,” Armstrong said, warning as he often does of the dangers of flat stages that end in frenzied sprints.
Garmin-Transitions rider Tyler Farrar was in a pack at second behind Cavendish.
The top of the standings didn’t change much. Barring crashes or mishaps, they rarely change much on flat stages. But with the Tour about to leave the lowlands, the climbers could step up as contenders test their rivals for weakness.
Today’s seventh stage is a 102.8-mile route along six low- to mid-grade climbs in the Jura range from Tournus to Station des Rousses. But the first real shakeout of climbers’ legs looms in Sunday’s stage, featuring two tough climbs including an uphill finish into the Morzine-Avoriaz ski station.
“I would look for more animation and more attacks on Sunday,” Armstrong said.
But will he attack?
“Probably not. I still would wait and watch the other guys,” he said, anticipating that he’ll need to conserve energy for four rides in the Pyrenees in Week 3 that are likely to have more impact on who wins.
Armstrong’s last competitive test in mountains came in the Tour of Switzerland last month, where he finished an impressive second. He said he’s in even better shape now.
“It was promising,” he said, referring to the Swiss race. “But, to be honest, I feel a lot better now then I did then: On the bike I feel stronger, recovery feels better, I’m a little bit lighter, which I think makes a big difference. We’ll see. It’s all hype until you get out there and do it.”
The man who beat Armstrong in Switzerland, Frank Schleck of Luxembourg, broke his collarbone Tuesday during a stage run on cobblestones. Armstrong lost time that day after blowing a tire and hurt his chances for an eighth victory.
Defending champ Alberto Contador, the favorite entering the Tour and one of the world’s best climbers, is encouraged.
“Today I woke up with much better legs and that’s important because tomorrow the difficulty starts, and I need to be at 100 percent,” he said.
At a glance
Stage 6: A mainly flat, 141.4-mile race from Montargis to Gueugnon that again favored sprinters.
Winner: Britain’s Mark Cavendish clinched the 12th stage Tour win of his career and second in two days. U.S. rider Tyler Farrar was second, and veteran Alessandro Petacchi of Italy was third.
How Garmin-Transitions did: Farrar finished second in the sprint finish, and Robert Hunter (ninth) joined him in the top 10. Ryder Hesjedal is fourth overall, 46 seconds back.
Armstrong watch: Lance Armstrong, a seven-time champion, remained 18th, 2:30 back.
Yellow jersey: Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland, who finished in the main pack. Defending champion Alberto Contador of Spain stayed in ninth, 1:40 back.
Next stage: Today’s seventh stage is a 102.8-mile trek from Tournus to Station des Rousses that has six low- to midgrade climbs in the Jura mountains. This stage is the transition from the flats to the true mountain stages that typically decide the race.
