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MONTARGIS, France (Reuters)
American Lance Armstrong was told by Tour de France organizers that he had to wear the race leader's yellow jersey in Wednesday's fifth stage.
The American, chasing a seventh Tour win, had not wanted to wear the coveted jersey as a mark of respect for compatriot David Zabriskie of the CSC team.
Zabriskie, in front since the opening stage, lost the overall lead to Armstrong after crashing near the finish of Tuesday's team time trial."I decided not to wear the jersey today in respect of the tradition and in respect of Zabriskie," the Texan said before the start of the fifth stage in Chambord.
But organizers later told his Discovery Channel team that he would be disqualified if he did not wear it and Armstrong started the stage with the jersey.
"I watched the television yesterday night and I had a sick feeling," Armstrong had said. "The CSC were very close and without this crash they would have had a great chance of winning the stage.
"It would have been a matter of tenths or even hundredths of a second. There is a tradition in the Tour de France not to wear the jersey when you take it from a mishap.
"The last I can remember was that Greg LeMond didn't wear it when (Rolf) Sorensen crashed."
Sorensen broke his collar bone in a crash during a finish in the northern city of Valenciennes in 1990, handing the yellow jersey to LeMond en route to his third Tour success.
"On the top of it, the jersey went from one American guy to another. I didn't feel like wearing it," added Armstrong.
Zabriskie hit the ground in the final two kilometers, hurt his knee and needed stitches for a cut to his right arm. He went into the stage two seconds ahead of Armstrong but is now ninth, 1:26 down on his compatriot.
Wednesday's stage is a 183-km ride from Chambord to Montargis
American Lance Armstrong was told by Tour de France organizers that he had to wear the race leader's yellow jersey in Wednesday's fifth stage.
The American, chasing a seventh Tour win, had not wanted to wear the coveted jersey as a mark of respect for compatriot David Zabriskie of the CSC team.
Zabriskie, in front since the opening stage, lost the overall lead to Armstrong after crashing near the finish of Tuesday's team time trial."I decided not to wear the jersey today in respect of the tradition and in respect of Zabriskie," the Texan said before the start of the fifth stage in Chambord.
But organizers later told his Discovery Channel team that he would be disqualified if he did not wear it and Armstrong started the stage with the jersey.
"I watched the television yesterday night and I had a sick feeling," Armstrong had said. "The CSC were very close and without this crash they would have had a great chance of winning the stage.
"It would have been a matter of tenths or even hundredths of a second. There is a tradition in the Tour de France not to wear the jersey when you take it from a mishap.
"The last I can remember was that Greg LeMond didn't wear it when (Rolf) Sorensen crashed."
Sorensen broke his collar bone in a crash during a finish in the northern city of Valenciennes in 1990, handing the yellow jersey to LeMond en route to his third Tour success.
"On the top of it, the jersey went from one American guy to another. I didn't feel like wearing it," added Armstrong.
Zabriskie hit the ground in the final two kilometers, hurt his knee and needed stitches for a cut to his right arm. He went into the stage two seconds ahead of Armstrong but is now ninth, 1:26 down on his compatriot.
Wednesday's stage is a 183-km ride from Chambord to Montargis
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