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As the riders crossed the finish line of Stage 9 of the Tour de France, Lance Armstrong remained firmly in third place.
After Stage 9, Stage 10 bids farewell to the mountains and returns to the less treacherous terrain, as the Tour de France moves from Limoges to Issoudun.
After stage 9, Nocentini still leads Armstrong by approximately eight seconds, and the second place Contador by six seconds.
Yet, the race by-and-large remains a three-man competition.
Longtime watchers of the Tour de France, however, are quick to note that the leader board is likely going to change dramatically as the race inches closer to the stages where Lance Armstrong has pulled ahead of competitors in his previous seven victories.