Tour de France

OGDEN -- Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong is considering competing in the Xterra USA Championship on Sept. 24 at Snowbasin Ski Resort.

Schleck overtook Frenchman Thomas Voeckler on the final day of racing in the Alps, making up a 15-second deficit during a 68-mile, brutally steep stage.

"My motivation is super, my legs are good, my condition is there," Schleck said. "So I'm confident I can keep this till Paris."

Voeckler cracked on the first of three daunting climbs. He never caught the leaders despite a gritty struggle and gave up the yellow jersey after wearing it for 10 days.

With the race ending Sunday in Paris, Schleck leads brother Frank by 53 seconds. Australia's Cadel Evans is third, 57 seconds behind.

Frenchman Pierre Rolland captured the 19th stage, rewarding thousands of wildly cheering French fans who packed the finish. He attacked

PLATEAU DE BEILLE, France -- French cyclist Thomas Voeckler retained the lead of the Tour de France on Saturday after the last stage in the Pyrenees, which was won by Jelle Vanendert of Belgium and failed to be as significant as expected for the main contenders.

Vanendert clinched the 14th stage -- the first Tour stage win of his career -- after finishing 21 seconds ahead of Samuel Sanchez of Spain and 46 seconds in front of third-place Andy Schleck of Luxembourg.

"I never imagined this would happen to me on my first Tour de France," Vanendert said. "I have been feeling good in the mountains."

LAVAUR, France -- Mark Cavendish nearly lost a shoe in the final stretch but kept his cool to win a rainy 11th stage of the Tour de France in a mass sprint Wednesday, easily beating Andre Greipel of Germany at the line to seize the leading sprinter's green jersey.

French rider Thomas Voeckler kept the race leader's yellow jersey after the 104.1-mile trek from Blaye-les-Mines to Lavaur. Voeckler finished 75th in the stage but with the same time as the winner.

Cavendish made the most of the last stage designed for sprinters before the race reaches the Pyrenees to claim his 18th stage win at the Tour, his third in this year's race. He won in 3 hours, 46 minutes, 7 seconds.

SUPER-BESSE, France -- Portuguese rider Rui Alberto Costa won the eighth stage of the Tour de France after withstanding a late attack from Philippe Gilbert on Saturday, while Thor Hushovd kept the leader's yellow jersey.

Costa waved his hands in delight and then punched the air as he clinched the first Tour stage win of his career.

"I knew I could get in the breakaway today, the team put me in the best position," Costa said. "I was lucky that I managed to hold on until the end. I'm very happy with this win."

Cavendish wins 7th stage of Tour de France

By GREG KELLER

Associated Press

CHATEAUROUX, France -- Mark Cavendish captured the crash-marred seventh stage Friday in the same town where three years ago he won a Tour de France stage for the first time. Thor Hushovd kept the leader's yellow jersey.

A pileup toward the end of the 135-mile course across the Loire River valley cost British champion Bradley Wiggins any shot of a top-three finish in Paris.

REDON, France -- Tyler Farrar became the first American to win a Tour de France stage on July 4, dominating a sprint finish in the third leg Monday as teammate Thor Hushovd of Norway kept the yellow jersey.

It was the first Tour stage victory for Farrar, one of the world's best sprinters, and showcased the dominance of the Garmin-Cervelo team over the past two days at cycling's biggest race.

The 123-mile flat route from Olonne-sur-Mer to Redon in western Brittany favored sprinters like Farrar, Mark Cavendish of Britain, Italy's Alessandro Petacchi, Tom Boonen of Belgium, and Hushovd, the world champion.

"I certainly would have taken it on any day," Farrar said of the stage victory. "But as an American, winning on the Fourth of July, it's the icing on the cake. ... Lucky me."