Armstrong poised to make run

TOURS, France — Lance Armstrong pedaled beside the overall leader of the Tour de France and admired his taste in fashion. The six-time champion wants to be decked out in yellow again, and he might not have to wait long.

"Regardless of how many I've had in my day, it's still a jersey I cherish," Armstrong said.

Armstrong was content to ride safely in the main pack again Monday. He finished in 87th place in the third stage while Belgium's Tom Boonen sprinted to victory for the second straight day, the route marked by towering gray castles, endless green fields and dozens of vineyards.

Still riding the coattails of having the best time the first day of the race, overall leader David Zabriskie of Utah finished in 56th place in Monday's 133-mile leg, which started from La Chataigneraie in western France and snaked toward the medieval city of Tours.

Armstrong stayed in the middle of the pack as farmers put down their tools and villagers gazed from stone houses at the mass of cyclists streaming past in a military-like unit. He even found time to chat with Zabriskie, his former teammate at U.S. Postal.

"Lance was telling me to just enjoy the yellow jersey," Zabriskie said. "He asked me if he could have a turn."

Zabriskie fears Armstrong's turn is imminent.

"Holding onto the lead is going to be really tough," he said.

There will be nothing cautious about the key time trial today. Armstrong is a mere two seconds behind Zabriskie and will be looking to gain more ground on his rivals, and perhaps move in front again.

Then, Armstrong — who has worn the leader's jersey more than 60 times — will truly consider himself on track for a seventh straight title before retirement.

For the past two years, Armstrong's team won the team time trial for the U.S. Postal Service squad. Now he wants to win for new sponsor Discovery Channel in the nine-man discipline — a 41.9-mile ride from Tours to Blois.

"It's critical in that you can gain time and every second counts," Armstrong said. "It's good for the morale and good for the team to show they are strong. We've been lucky enough to win the last two years, and we'd like to try again."

A strong showing could bolster his advantage. The Texan leads Jan Ullrich by 66 seconds, Alexandre Vinokourov by 51 and Ivan Basso by 84.