George Hincapie was Tour de France king for only a day, losing the overall lead and the yellow jersey that goes with it to accident-prone Thor Hushovd on a sweltering day.
But there were no regrets. After seven years of watching his former boss, Lance Armstrong, wear yellow day-in, day-out, the genial American now hungry for his own glory was thrilled to have had the chance to savor the famed shirt for himself, if only for 24 hours.
"A really special feeling, something I've always wanted to do," the veteran riding his 11th Tour said after slipping back from first to fourth in the overall standings on Monday's stage two, the second-longest of this first post-Armstrong Tour.
So far, Hincapie and Hushovd have monopolized the bright "maillot jaune."
Hushovd, a Norwegian sprinter, won it first, beating Hincapie by a split second in the short opening time trial on Saturday.
Bitterly disappointed, Hincapie wrested it away the next day, becoming just the fourth American to wear yellow in the 103-year history of cycling's premier event.
Hushovd got the shirt back on Monday in the same way that Hincapie had taken it off him -- by sprinting for time bonuses along the 228.5km route from Obernai in eastern France on tarmac made hot by the blazing sun.
Hushovd picked up four seconds that way, more than erasing Hincapie's slim two-second lead, and then garnered eight more bonus seconds by placing third in the jostling sprint at the finish which was won by Australian Robbie McEwen, still one of the fastest on the Tour at the ripe age of 34.
Wave goodbye to the outsized green hands at the finish line.
Tour organizers clamped down on Monday on distribution of the cardboard freebies featuring an advertisement for a sponsor, a day after one held out by a fan slashed the arm of the then-race leader.
Norway's Thor Hushovd, a white bandage on his arm, appeared to be still suffering during Monday's second stage. At one point he had to drop back for treatment from the race doctor.
Tour organizers responded to Sunday's incident by ordering all of the hands barred from the last 2km of the course in flat stages that often end in a sprint.
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