Britain's Mark Cavendish won Sunday's second stage of the Tour de France, as seven-time winner Lance Armstrong finished safely in the trailing pack behind a sprint. Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland retained the overall lead. Cavendish clenched his fists and smiled as he crossed the line a split second in front of US rider Tyler Farrar in second and Romain Feillu of France in third. It was the Briton's fifth Tour stage win. With a solid escort from his Team Columbia, Cavendish almost made it look easy. Armstrong, pre-race favorite Alberto Contador and other possible title contenders were expected to ride cautiously and to avoid crashes in the nervous 187-kilometer course from the principality of Monaco to Brignoles, France. The stage Sunday featured four minor climbs along the sun-baked hills of Provence along the Mediterranean. The layout favored sprinters and breakaway specialists. Cavendish, a 24-year-old Isle of Man native who won three stages in the Giro d'Italia in May, is proving to be among the world's leading sprint specialists. Cancellara won Saturday's opening time trial to take the yellow jersey. He leads Contador, who is second, by 18 seconds. Armstrong is 10th, 40 seconds back. Armstrong didn't speak to reporters as he left the team bus before Sunday's stage, but wrote on his Twitter account that he expected “the bunch will be antsy and aggressive” and forecast the stage would be won by Cavendish. Nerves indeed bared with three minor mid-race crashes, one involving Saxo Bank team rider Frank Schleck of Luxembourg – one of the Tour's biggest names, and a possible title contender. The last one occurred at a fork in the route within the final kilometer. Cancellara too had a tiny mishap. Teams often protect the yellow jersey like a queen bee, but he briefly dropped back on his own for a seat adjustment from a Saxo Bank mechanic before catching up. Riders braved muggy conditions and temperatures over 30 degrees (86 Fahrenheit) as they rode through sun-baked Provence hills along medieval architectural sites like a Cistercian abbey. They will face a similar trek for Monday's third stage, a 196.5-kilometer course from the Mediterranean port city of Marseille to La Grande Motte. The Tour ends July 26 in Paris.
