Tour de France Stage 10: Lance Armstrong remains in striking distance Read more:


Lance Armstrong remains within striking distance of the yellow jersey following the 10th stage of the Tour de France on Tuesday, a 121-mile ride from Limoges to Issoudun won by British cyclist Mark Cavendish following a sprint finish over the final 200 yards.

Cavendish edged Thor Hushovd of Norway to collect his third stage victory, and American Tyler Farrar finished third, but the stage had little impact on the overall standings.

Italy's Rinaldo Nocentini retained the leader's yellow jersey on a flat route favoring sprinters, while Astana teammates Alberto Contador and Armstrong remain second and third in the overall standings.

Contador trails Nocentini by six seconds, while Armstrong is just eight off the lead.

Organizers banned riders from wearing earpieces on Tuesday, forcing cyclists to traverse the stage without radio instructions from team cars. The move, which is scheduled to take place once more during Friday's 13th stage, was seen as a way to inject drama and spice up the race.

At the very least, it created some controversy.

Astana team director Johan Bruyneel had campaigned for the ban to be overturned, but was unsuccessful in his attempt. Teams, however, are still pressuring organizers to overturn the ban for Friday's mountainous stage, which features one big climb and possibly several attacks.

"My impression is that we'll have the radio on Friday," Armstrong said.

But it's not a guaranteed thing.

International Cycling Union (UCI) head commissioner Martin Bruin told French television that there is no plan to overturn the decision.

"The stage will be held without radio as planned," Bruin said.