Riders in the Tour de France will have to battle through more wet and windy weather today as they head west across northern France, forecasters have predicted.
Riders were lashed by driving rain and strong winds for most of yesterday's 200-km fifth stage from Amiens to Chartres, won by Australian Stuart O'Grady with Frenchman Thomas Voeckler taking the yellow jersey from Lance Armstrong.
"What a day," said fifth-place finisher Magnus Backstedt. "It was wet, cold and the wind was blowing across the road for most of the day."
Wednesday's 64.5-km team time trial, won by five-time champion Armstrong's U.S. Postal team, was equally miserable.
Race doctors treated 11 riders after crashes yesterday and many more went down in the wet conditions, with two pile-ups scattering the main field.
Armstrong's team mates, Manuel Beltran and Jose Luis Rubiera, were injured and Italian sprinter Alessandro Petacchi hurt his left shoulder in a crash but all finished and are due to start today's 190-km stage from Bonneval to Angers.
Forecasters said the rain would ease off on Sunday before the Tour transfers south to the Massif Central on Monday, where drier weather is expected.