American cyclist Lance Armstrong lost a chess-like battle in the final grueling mile of the World Championship professional road race Sunday and failed to repeat his victory of last year.
Luc Leblanc captured the rainbow jersey, the first Frenchman to win since 1980. He covered the 156 miles in six hours, 33 minutes, 54 seconds under a broiling sun.Leblanc edged Italy's Claudio Chiappucci and another Frenchman, Richard Virenque, by nine seconds. They placed second and third, respectively.
The winner's average speed was 23.775 mph over the race's 19 laps, which wound through wild ficus trees, olive groves, the city's ugly concrete jumble and the tawny ruins of spectacular Greek temples.
The 22-year-old Armstrong, born in the Dallas suburbs and a resident of Austin, Texas, and Como, Italy, ended up seventh, 48 seconds back.
The loss ends a disappointing season for the sturdy Texan who wears a gold earring.
At 21 last year, he became the youngest world champion ever. That followed a yellow jersey in cycling's pinnacle, the Tour of France. But since then, Armstrong has won little.
"I'm relieved it's over," he said. "I said before the race started, I'm not going to be disappointed if I don't win. I'm going to be disappointed if I don't ride smart, if I don't give it everything I've got. If I look at the race, I can't say I didn't do those things."
As the last lap wound down and the riders climbed up from the Valley of Temples, a group of seven, including Armstrong, were at the front.
"It was really tactical," he said. "We were going super easy: everybody was looking at each other to see who was going to sprint."
Then LeBlanc broke away.
When he reacted, Armstrong said, his derailleur slipped, his foot shot off the pedal and he fell forward on the handlebars. "By the time I got back together I was completely wasted."
Throughout the last half-lap, when Armstrong tried to catch up to the leaders, Leblanc and Italy's Massimo Ghirotto, Chiappucci stuck to Armstrong's back wheel and failed to support him in a pursuit. Chiappucci only sprinted in the final straightaway.
Leblanc, 28, gave France its first men's road title since Bernard Hinault 14 years ago.
The winner, who turned professional in 1987, threw his cap into the air and raised his arms in triumph as he crossed the finish line. He then rushed to embrace his wife Maria.
Leblanc said he was considering quitting two years ago because of disappointing results.
"My wife kept me going. I thank her for helping me to overcome the problem," he said.
Leblanc this season has had only a single victory, in the 11th stage of the Tour of France. He finished fourth overall, more than 10 minutes behind winner Miguel Indurain. He has had 21 wins in eight years as a pro.
Ghirotto finished fourth in the same time as Chiappucci and Virenque. Russian Dmitry Konyshev placed fifth, 15 seconds behind.
Five Italians were in a group of 32 which broke away from the large group with four laps to go.
The race ended two weeks of World Championship events in sites around Sicily. The U.S. showing was its best ever at the championships. The Americans won three gold, two silver and three bronze.