LANCE ARMSTRONG Wreck doesn't wreck his chances

The 31-year-old is in eighth place with 19 stages remaining.
MEAUX, France (AP) -- A little shaken, Lance Armstrong emerged from the wreckage of a crash at the Tour de France, his hopes of a record-tying fifth victory still intact.
The 31-year-old Texan is eighth in the overall standings, with 19 stages remaining. With a crucial team time-trial looming and the mountain stages he loves and others loathe lying in wait, Armstrong remains in good shape.
"We'll just try to avoid any problems, control the race from the back seat and wait for the team time trials," Armstrong said ahead of Sunday's 104-mile first stage from Montgeron to Meaux.
Those plans could well have crumbled when around 35 riders fell near the finish line -- Armstrong among them. However, he emerged from the pileup relatively unscathed to finish the stage in 107th spot.
Italy's Alessandro Petacchi, who was just ahead of the chasing pack when the crash happened, won in 3 hours, 44 minutes, 33 seconds.
Key trial
Despite his minor cuts and bruises, Armstrong is already thinking ahead to Wednesday's time trial -- a 42.1-mile sprint from Joinville to Saint-Dizier -- where teams dash off at five-minute intervals from each other.
"It's a critical day. That day already starts to shape the race," Armstrong said. Last year, his U.S. Postal Service team finished in second place -- 16 seconds behind the winning Once team.
A good showing in the time-trial will set Armstrong up nicely for the grueling mountain stages that follow -- where he is renowned for decimating opponents with his relentless climbing ability.
"He will shine in the mountains," said Jaan Kirsipuu, an Estonian riding for the AG2R Prevoyance team. "Only Armstrong can keep it up for three, four hill climbs in a row."
Looking ahead
From July 12-14, the Tour features three mountain stages, with some climbs topping 8,250 feet. They include the infamous Col du Galibier, which peaks at a whopping 8,729 feet.
Armstrong, trying to tie Spaniard Miguel Indurain's record five straight wins (1991-1995), was a split-second behind the front-runners when Spain's Jose Enrique Gutierrez fell, causing a domino effect in the ensuing pack.
Armstrong smacked into riders who'd already hit the deck, was launched off his bike and then ridden into by those behind him.
Quick thinking saw him grab a bike off U.S. Postal teammate Jose Luis Rubiera and ride the last few hundred yards to the finish.
U.S. rider Tyler Hamilton, one of Armstrong's main rivals and his former teammate, fractured a collarbone. He and four other riders were taken to a hospital for X-rays.
Hamilton said he would decide today whether he's able to continue.