Tour de France: 13th stage has chilling subplots

<p>COLMAR, France -- Lance Armstrong stayed in third place after a wet and chilly ride Friday.</p><p>The 13th stage from Vittel to Colmar, won by Germany's Heinrich Haussler, was less secure for riders Julian Dean and Oscar Freire: they were lightly injured by shots from a suspected air rifle from the roadside.</p><p>The top standings didn't change in the 124-mile stage through the rolling hills of northeast France that featured three big climbs, including the demanding Col du Platzerwasel.</p><p>Armstrong, who trails overall leader Rinaldo Nocentini of Italy by eight seconds and Astana teammate Alberto Contador by two, said a crucial showdown awaits in Sunday's ride into Switzerland.</p><p>"That one is almost a guarantee because it's uphill," the seven-time champion said of the ride from Pontarlier, France, to the Swiss ski station of Verbier. "For sure, it's a decisive stage and exciting for the fans."</p><p>Pounding rain forced many in the pack to don windbreakers and made conditions unfavorable for potential contenders Cadel Evans of Australia, brothers Andy and Frank Schleck of Luxembourg or the 2008 Tour champion Carlos Sastre.</p><p>"It was really, really cold," Armstrong, who is riding in his 12th Tour, told the Associated Press. "To be honest, I don't remember a day in the Tour that has been colder than that one."</p><p>Some riders were forced to contend with more than just slick conditions on rain-soaked roads. New Zealand's Dean and Freire, a three-time world champion from Spain, were slightly injured by shots from what their teams suspect was an air rifle during the stage.</p><p>A projectile embedded in Freire's thigh was removed by a Rabobank team doctor. Dean's right index finger was injured, said Marya Pongrace, a spokeswoman for his Garmin-Slipstream team.</p><p>Police were investigating. Both cyclists were expected to start today's mostly flat 14th stage, a 124-mile trek through plains from Colmar to Besancon, the teams said.</p><p>The riders were hit in the descent from the Col du Platzerwasel, the hardest of Friday's climbs about 22 miles from the finish, Rabobank said.</p><p>News of the shooting emerged hours after the stage finish, and it clearly didn't distract riders from the competition. Norway's Thor Hushovd retrieved the green jersey awarded to the Tour's best sprinter from Mark Cavendish of Britain, and Franco Pellizotti from Italy took the polka-dot jersey of the best climber off Spain's Egoi Martinez.</p><p>Contador, the 26-year-old winner of the 2007 Tour and a pre-race favorite, said Sunday's ride isn't likely to separate the main title contenders, insisting the 5.47-mile uphill finish up to Verbier is too short to give contenders enough space to chisel out large time gaps.</p><p>"This (Tour) layout isn't favorable to attacks," Contador said. "There should have been more uphill finishes . . . I would have liked a different type of course."</p><p>Armstrong was angered by the criticism from French Sports Minister Roselyne Bachelot, who said Astana riders stayed out of sight too long during a random doping check last week.</p><p>"Enough is enough," the 37-year-old Texan said. "This is ridiculous. We've been controlled more than anybody else on the race. We have had this team for a long time. We've never had a positive control. Yes, we are successful. Yes, we are the strongest team in the race. But enough of the (outcry) in the media."</p>