Vatan: Rinaldo Nocentini of Italy was wearing the yellow jersey as riders headed out on the 11th stage of the Tour de France, a largely flat route again favoring sprinters.
Nocentini held a lead of six seconds over Alberto Contador and was eight seconds clear of seven-time Tour champion Lance Armstrong at the start of Wednesday's 192-kilometer (119.3-mile) trek from Vatan to Saint-Fargeau.
Mark Cavendish, the British sprinter who won Tuesday's 10th stage, was expected to challenge for a fourth stage win.