Mark Cavendish wins 11th stage of Tour de France, Lance Armstrong remains 3rd overall

Cavendish wins 11th Tour stage, Armstrong in 3rd

SAINT-FARGEAU, France — Mark Cavendish has won the 11th stage of the Tour de France and Lance Armstrong remains in third place overall.

Cavendish sealed his second straight stage win and fourth of the Tour on Wednesday. The British cyclist finished about half a bike length ahead of American Tyler Farrar in a sprint finish on a flat stage.

Armstrong finished safely in the main pack, with his Astana teammate Alberto Contador narrowly ahead of him in second place overall.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

VATAN, France (AP) — Rinaldo Nocentini of Italy was wearing the yellow jersey as riders headed out on the 11th stage of the Tour de France, a largely flat route again favoring sprinters.

Nocentini held a lead of six seconds over Alberto Contador and was eight seconds clear of seven-time Tour champion Lance Armstrong at the start of Wednesday’s 119.3-mile trek from Vatan to Saint-Fargeau.

Mark Cavendish, the British sprinter who won Tuesday’s 10th stage, was expected to challenge for a fourth stage win.