ALESSANDRO PETACCHI of Italy, speeding to the line in a blinding sprint marked by another crash, took his second stage win in just three days at this Tour de France on Tuesday.

Cycling superstar Lance Armstrong, seeking a record-tying fifth victory, finished in 69th place. The four-time champion is conserving his strength in the Tour's early stages, trying to avoid crashes and saving himself for an important team time-trial Wednesday and crucial mountain climbs in the Alps that start Saturday.

Petacchi beat out Romans Vainsteins, a Latvian, and Spain's Oscar Freire in the dash into Saint-Dizier, the third of the three-week Tour's 20 stages. Petacchi also won the first stage Sunday.

"I had a great sprint," said the 29-year-old from the Italian Fassa Bortolo team. "I'm starting to get into form."

French rider Jean-Patrick Nazon, who finished Tuesday in 14th place, took the coveted yellow jersey worn by the overall Tour leader. He is the first Frenchman since Francois Simon in 2001 to wear the jersey. This is the Tour's centennial year, which made it extra-special.

"People will remember that I'm the first French rider in a yellow jersey at this centennial," said Nazon, of the French Jean Delatour team. "It has happened so quickly. I'm having a lot of difficulty understanding what's happening."

Armstrong was 12th overall, just 19 seconds back from Nazon with 17 days of racing to go. Jan Ullrich, the 1997 Tour winner and a key threat to Armstrong's drive for five wins, is 6th overall, five seconds ahead of the 31-year-old Texan.

Tyler Hamilton, struggling on with a collarbone fractured in a huge crash involving about 35 riders Sunday, finished 43rd Tuesday. Before the injury, Hamilton had been considered another of Armstrong's potential rivals. He is 10th overall.

Editor: Wings