Frenchman Dons the Yellow Jersey

After capturing the lead a day earlier, Lance Armstrong relinquished the lead in stage five of the Tour de France yesterday. His US Postal Service team, and several other contenders, stayed behind while some riders raced ahead in the 220.5 km stage.

The lead and the yellow jersey belongs to Frenchman, Thomas Voeckler. Voeckler, 25 years old, is now 9:35 ahead of the sixth place Armstrong who hung back to save his energy for the second half of the Tour. Voeckler decided to seize the opportunity to move into first and hopes to hold onto his lead through the mountains. While Armstrong may be too much to handle, Voeckler is also a strong climber. In another race last month, he won a difficult mountain stage, proving his mountain climbing grit.