Lance Armstrong less than second off Tour de France lead as 5th stage gets under way

Armstrong just off lead as Tour’s 5th stage begins

CAP D’AGDE, France — Lance Armstrong was trailing race leader Fabian Cancellara by a fraction of a second as Tour de France riders left for the fifth stage along the Mediterranean coast.

Breakaway riders are expected to shine in Wednesday’s 122-mile ride from Le Cap d’Agde to Perpignan, though the finale could also involve a sprint.

Armstrong, a seven-time Tour champion but written off by many cycling experts before the race started, came within a whisker of the yellow jersey in the team time trial on Tuesday.

The Tour ends July 26 in Paris.