Robbie McEwen, wearing the green jersey as the Tour's top sprinter, edges Thor Hushovd to take Stage 9.
		By Paolo Cocco, AFP

"It will be hard, especially if the race starts aggressively like it did today," Armstrong said after Tuesday's ninth stage.

"A lot of people will be going home if it starts like that."

Armstrong remained in sixth place overall, finishing 44th Tuesday behind stage winner Robbie McEwen of Australia. The 32-year-old Texan is 9 minutes, 35 seconds behind leader Thomas Voeckler of France.

Wednesday's 147-mile trek through the Massif Central of central France is the longest of this Tour and has nine climbs, including the most difficult so far — 3 ½-mile ascent to 5,243 feet, which gets steeper as it goes up.

Armstrong is in the dark about the stage, having not checked it out like some of his rivals before the Tour started.

"It's going to be tough ... up and down all day," Armstrong said. "Unfortunately, it's a stage we haven't seen. It's a hard day ahead."

He acknowledged that his teammates are "a little anxious" but insisted "they will be ready."

"The team is great and healthy," he added. "Everyone's recovered from their small crashes."

Sprinters who have dominated the mostly flat early stages will struggle. Such speedsters include McEwen. Climbers and all-arounders like Armstrong will move to the fore — possibly offering an early look at how strong the main contenders are.

"The Tour starts now," American Tyler Hamilton, a former teammate and rival of Armstrong's, on Monday's rest day. "The upcoming stages will really show who is here to win."

Even with one bad leg, McEwen was still the quickest rider of the first half of the three-week Tour.

Head down, the Australian put on a burst of speed to win Tuesday's ninth stage, racing along the barriers and pushing his wheel over the line just ahead of Norwegian champion Thor Hushovd.

Armstrong, who has been saving his strength for the tough and likely decisive last week, finished comfortably in the main pack. Jan Ullrich, his main rival, was 25th. Both finished in the same time as McEwen's 3 hours, 32 minutes, 55 seconds.

Armstrong's other main objective has been to avoid crashes like the one that took down Spain's Mikel Pradera, who plowed into a road sign and cartwheeled into the path of another rider. Both went on to finish.

"We just sat on the wheel, took it easy," said Armstrong. The ride "was fine, didn't really surprise me at all."

The hilly 99 ½-mile stage, the shortest this year except for time trial courses, started in Saint-Leonard-de-Noblat in central France, the hometown of retired Tour great Raymond Poulidor. He is loved by fans even though he never won the showcase race — finishing either second or third a record eight times between 1962 and 1976.

McEwen became the first rider to win two stages at this Tour. But when he set out Tuesday, he wasn't even sure he'd make it to the finish. Banged up in a mass crash on Friday, he rode with a sore back and knee and said he started the day thinking, "I just hope I survive."

"It's a beautiful victory," the 32-year-old McEwen said. "I gave all of my energy to that sprint."

Spain's Inigo Landaluze and Italian rider Filippo Simeoni had the win snatched away. They pedaled way out in front of the main pack for much of the race, but were gradually reeled in and overtaken by McEwen, Hushovd and other sprinters in the mass dash to the line.

Voeckler retained the overall lead, meaning he will wear the leader's yellow jersey on Bastille Day, the national holiday on Wednesday. Armstrong is 55 seconds ahead of Ullrich.

Armstrong thinks Voeckler could hold the lead at least into the Pyrenees, which start Friday. But the French champion isn't so sure.

On Wednesday, "if the favorites decide to fight right from the start ... it could get difficult for me," Voeckler said.

McEwen said his knee hurt so much he had to stop six times during a training ride on Monday's rest day. But he has plenty of determination.

He also won a sprint finish in stage two to Namur in Belgium, and took the green jersey as best sprinter at the 2002 Tour. He now has five stage victories in seven Tours. He currently holds the green jersey and hopes to win it at the finish in Paris on July 25.

"I don't want to sound like I'm a one-legged man," he said. "After today, I feel like I've been — at least in the first half of the Tour — the best sprinter."

Stage 9 results

99.73 miles from Saint-Leonard-de-Noblat to Gueret

1. Robbie McEwen, Australia, Lotto-Domo, 3 hours, 32 minutes, 55 seconds.

2. Thor Hushovd, Norway, Credit Agricole, same time.

3. Stuart O'Grady, Australia, Cofidis Credit Par Telephone, same time.

4. Jerome Pineau, France, Brioches La Boulangere, same time.

5. Erik Zabel, Germany, T-Mobile Team, same time.

6. Janeck Tombak, Estonia, Cofidis Credit Par Telephone, same time.

7. Tom Boonen, Belgium, Quick Step-Davitamon, same time.

8. Danilo Hondo, Germany, Gerolsteiner, same time.

9. Sergio Marinangeli, Italy, Domina Vacanze, same time.

10. Inigo Landaluze, Spain, Euskaltel-Euskadi, same time.

11. Jean-Patrick Nazon, France, AG2R Prevoyance, same time.

12. Baden Cooke, Australia, fdjeux.com, same time.

13. Scott Sunderland, Australia, Alessio-Bianchi, same time.

14. Allan Davis, Australia, Liberty Seguros, same time.

15. Bram De Groot, Netherlands, Rabobank, same time.

16. Kim Kirchen, Luxemburg, Fassa Bortolo, same time.

17. Filippo Simeoni, Italy, Domina Vacanze, same time.

18. Laurent Brochard, France, AG2R Prevoyance, same time.

19. Peter Wrolich, Austria, Gerolsteiner, same time.

20. Fabian Cancellara, Switzerland, Fassa Bortolo, same time.

Also

25. Jan Ullrich, Germany, T-Mobile Team, same time.

29. Thomas Voeckler, France, Brioches La Boulangere, same time.

43. George Hincapie, United States, US Postal-Berry Floor, same time.

44. Lance Armstrong, United States, US Postal-Berry Floor, same time.

46. Ivan Basso, Italy, Team CSC, same time.

49. Levi Leipheimer, United States, Rabobank, same time.

61. Tyler Hamilton, United States, Phonak Hearing Systems, same time.

62. Gilberto Simoni, Italy, Saeco, same time.

65. Jose Azevedo, Portugal, US Postal-Berry Floor, same time.

75. Manuel Beltran, Spain, US Postal-Berry Floor, same time.

82. Floyd Landis, United States, US Postal-Berry Floor, same time.

87. Roberto Heras, Spain, Liberty Seguros, same time.

88. Viatceslav Ekimov, Russia, US Postal-Berry Floor, same time.

105. Pavel Padrnos, Czech Republic, US Postal-Berry Floor, same time.

106. Benjamin Noval Gonzalez, Spain, US Postal-Berry Floor, same time.

110. Christian Vandevelde, United States, Liberty Seguros, same time.

142. Jose Luis Rubiera, Spain, US Postal-Berry Floor, same time.

Overall standings thru Stage 9

1. Thomas Voeckler, France, Brioches La Boulangere, 36 hours, 36 minutes, 31 seconds.

2. Stuart O'Grady, Australia, Cofidis Credit Par Telephone, 2 minutes, 53 seconds behind.

3. Sandy Casar, France, fdjeux.com, 4:06.

4. Magnus Backstedt, Sweden, Alessio-Bianchi, 6:27.

5. Jakob Piil, Denmark, Team CSC, 7:09.

6. Lance Armstrong, United States, US Postal-Berry Floor, 9:35.

7. George Hincapie, United States, US Postal-Berry Floor, 9:45.

8. Jose Azevedo, Portugal, US Postal-Berry Floor, 9:57.

9. Jose Enrique Gutierrez, Spain, Phonak Hearing Systems, 10:02.

10. Erik Zabel, Germany, T-Mobile Team, 10:06.