Petacchi wins 4th Tour stage

REIMS, France -- Alessandro Petacchi of Italy won the fourth stage of the Tour de France in a mass sprint Wednesday, with Lance Armstrong and other contenders for the overall title finishing safely in the pack.

The Lampre rider collected his second stage win this Tour in the 95.4-mile ride from Cambrai to the champagne capital Reims -- a mostly flat trek that was tailor-made for sprinters.

Petacchi, competing in his first Tour since 2005, veered wide left to get a jump on three lead riders with a few meters left, and pedaled furiously to hold them off at the finish, crossing in 3 hours, 34 minutes, 55 seconds.

Armstrong crossed 36th, defending champion Alberto Contador was 32nd and last year's runner-up Andy Schleck placed 58th. All the riders in the pack received the same time as Petacchi.

Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland retained the yellow jersey, having recovered it during Tuesday's ride over cobblestones -- where Armstrong punctured tire and lost precious time.

The other top standings didn't change.

Among the overall contenders, two-time Tour runner-up Cadel Evans was third, 39 seconds back, Schleck was sixth, 1:09 back, Contador ninth, 1:40 back, and Armstrong 18th, 2:30 behind.

Petacchi edged Julian Dean of New Zealand, and Edval Boasson Hagen of Norway was third.

"I'm really happy ... I had nothing to lose, and I wanted to try my chances," Petacchi said. "At this stage in my career, winning two Tour stages is really important."

Before the stage, Armstrong said he would need to be "opportunistic" in a bid to make up ground in the race, which ends July 25 in Paris.

The next big challenges loom in the Alps in Sunday's eighth stage.