Alessandro Petacchi has won the first stage of the Tour de France in a sprint finish, with Lance Armstrong trailing in the pack on a day marred by several crashes.
Switzerland's Fabian Cancellara appeared set to retain the leader's yellow jersey after Sunday's 223.5-kilometer trek through
flat Belgian and Dutch lowlands from Rotterdam to Brussels.
Overall standings were not immediately available. Cancellara won Saturday's prologue to the three-week race.