French Cyclist Chavanel Wins Second Stage

In a day full of crashes, French cyclist Sylvain Chavanel pulled ahead from 87th place and won the second stage of the Tour de France for his Quick Step team. Swiss rider Fabian Cancellara, who went into the stage as the leader, ended nearly four minutes behind, alongside Lance Armstrong and last year’s winner Alberto Contador. In a day filled with crashes, Armstrong and two of his teammates were among the day’s casualties, "Riding downhill was almost like ice skating," said Armstrong’s manager. "Almost half of the peloton crashed today. Lance is OK. He's got a wound on his hip and his elbow.” Seven-time champion Armstrong is now in fifth place. Chavanel described his emotions today as “pure happiness.”