well i never ....
and i never thought i'd ever say this; but credit and respect where due is what i always say, so here it is .... (abuse expected)
Eurosport | Armstrong foregoes yellow
Following in the footsteps of Eddy Merckx and Greg Lemond, Lance Armstrong said he wouldn't wear a yellow jersey earned through the misfortune of a fellow rider.
Armstrong said he wanted to respect the history of the race, and that, since "nobody has ever taken the yellow jersey from a crash," Discovery wouldn't either. David Zabriskie's fall yesterday has Armstrong in the race lead.
In 1971, Merckx and Ocaña contested an epic Tour stage in heavy rain. When race leader Ocaña fell, Merckx refused to wear the maillot jaune until the following day. Similarly, in 1991, Greg Lemond didn't wear the yellow jersey after race leader Rolf Sorenson lost the race lead when he hit the pavement in a final sprint.
Today, at the end of the neutral zone, Armstrong put the yellow jersey on, but over his Discovery jersey; the OLN team suggested race organizers may have intervened.
Here's what BBC Sport has to say:
Stage five of the Tour de France has been briefly delayed by a stoppage at the official start in Chambord.
Six-times Tour winner Lance Armstrong did not want to wear the race leader's yellow jersey, out of respect for fellow American David Zabriskie.
Tour bosses halted the race before the start and told Armstrong he had to wear the jersey for the 183km to Montargis.
so hat's off to Lance (now you'll never hear me say that again i'm sure)