Utahn retains yellow jersey

LES ESSARTS, France — A master of strategy after all these rides, Lance Armstrong did what he had to: He stayed out of trouble.

Meanwhile, David Zabriskie of Salt Lake City and Team CSC, was able to hold on to the yellow jersey for a second day.

Armstrong negotiated the second stage of his farewell Tour de France on Sunday, finishing safely in the pack and in 63rd place. Crucially, he avoided danger by steering clear of sprinters jostling for position on a day when several fell, and Belgium's Tom Boonen was the winner.

Armstrong, bidding for a seventh straight Tour de France title, had no intention of trying to win the 112.5-mile run from Challans to Les Essarts, raced in the sunshine in the Vendee region of western France — once a stronghold of royalist supporters during the French Revolution more than two centuries ago.

Two years ago, Armstrong was part of a 35-man pileup on a similarly flat stage early in the Tour, and was lucky to get away with scratches and bruises.

"These finishes still scare me. I won't miss them," said Armstrong, who is set to retire after the race. "Everybody's a bit nervous, everybody's cracking a little bit."

Boonen won in just under four hours, beating Norway's Thor Hushovd and Australia's Robbie McEwen in a hair-raising dash to the line.

Armstrong took a major step Saturday, eclipsing Jan Ullrich and other main rivals with an outstanding ride on the opening day's time trial. The Texan is in second place overall and two seconds behind fellow U.S. rider Zabriskie.

With a key team time trial Tuesday and Alpine mountain stages looming, Armstrong refrained from needless risks. He has most of the 2,242 miles, Alps and Pyrenees ahead.

In those mountains, fans line the climbs and stand perilously close to riders. A sudden loss of concentration can lead to a nasty fall — like the one Armstrong had in the Pyrenees in 2003 when he caught a spectator's bag and fell.

Flanked by his protective Discovery Channel teammates, Armstrong managed to take in some scenery Sunday. Riders rolled side by side past wide-open fields while cows grazed lazily and the occasional American flag waved.

Before the start of the stage, hundreds of fans mingled outside his team bus. As they waited, his girlfriend, rock star Sheryl Crow, chatted and signed autographs.

Armstrong is much in demand on his final Tour. Even five-time Tour champion Bernard Hinault had to wait 15 minutes before climbing aboard the bus to see him.

Armstrong thanked his teammates for keeping him out of danger on a day when 10 riders fell.

"My legs were terrible," Armstrong joked. "Actually, I feel pretty good. I figure the faster I pedal, the faster I can retire."

Boonen was delighted with his victory.