22 January,2009 02:01 PM IST | | AFP
Lance Armstrong avoided a potential fall in today's third stage of the Tour Down Under that was marred by crashes, but eventually won by Australian Graeme Brown in a bunch sprint.
His countryman Allan Davis, of Quick Step, finished just behind Rabobank sprinter Brown to narrowly retain the leader's ochre jersey.
Thanks to bonus seconds awarded for his win, Brown is second overall on the same time as Davis with two-time winner Stuart O'Grady in third at 05 secs behind.
The first hard-fought day of racing so far proved to be a chaotic affair, with Columbia's defending champion Andre Greipel of Germany one of nine riders who dropped out, most through injuries picked up in crashes.
After just 15km Greipel dramatically smashed into a motorbike parked on the side of the road. As he hit the ground, his bike flew back into the peloton, taking down more riders.
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Armstrong, making his comeback from retirement here in a bid to hone his form ahead of bigger goals later this season, then jumped into a quality-packed lead group of 16 riders that broke free after just 20km of the 136 km race from Unley to Victor Harbor.
The 37-year-old seven-time Tour de France winner was given his own personal taste of the risks of racing in the south Australian countryside, avoiding a potential tumble when he rode over a stray branch in the middle of the road.
Despite its quality, Armstrong's breakaway group was eventually reeled in by the Quick Step and Rabobank teams at the 100km mark.
But the American, despite the testing racing conditions, and a helicopter that he had complained was too close overhead for comfort, appeared pleased he had been able to do some quality racing.
"It was a tough start, with the wind and everybody nervous because of the wind," said Armstrong.
"We didn't get organised, but it was fun to try (the breakaway). I felt pretty good. It was a strong group so you had to have decent legs to even make it.
"That (kind of) high end intensity I haven't had yet. If you looked around (the group) there was some horsepower in there, so I've got to be happy with that."
