Even as Team Astana put Contador and Armstrong on the podium and won the overall team victory, another team managed to dazzle fans around the world.
After a doping scandal prevented his former team, Liberty Seguros, from competing last year, Alexander Vinokourov, the leader of the Switzerland-based team, Astana, came back with a vengeance.
Armstrong added that his Astana team were looking to fellow American Levi Leipheimer for overall victory.
Alberto Contador joined the Astana team, which was then barred from this year's race because of its doping misbehaviour at last year's Tour.
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Contador, who was riding for the Astana team, won the world's most prestigious race for the third time on 25 July in 2010.
Astana team chief Johan Bruyneel, who guided Armstrong to all his seven previous Tour wins, insists he is happy to have two cycling superstars in his stable.
Without a summit finish, the Tour's second day in the mountains was never going to be as dramatic as Friday, when Contador surged away from his Astana team-mate Armstrong on the climb to the line.
On Col d' Agnes, 45km from the finish, Luxembourg's Andy Schleck also tried to spring free but the Astana team, a permanent fixture at the front of the pack, reacted instantly and ensured their two big stars stayed out of danger.
In the end, the sprint was a formality for Cavendish but, with the breakaway group finishing 41 seconds ahead of the peloton, Armstrong proved the big winner, gaining time on all his rivals including Astana team-mate and 2007 Tour winner Alberto Contador, defending champion Carlos Sastre and Giro d'Italia winner Denis Menchov.
The race starts with a short team time trial in Venice on Saturday, with Stapleton's Team Columbia and the Garmin, Astana and Saxo Bank squads expected to feature.
The Astana star won the testing stage in 31 minutes 59 seconds with Team Katusha's Toni Colom in second place, 22 seconds adrift.
Contador won the 2007 Tour de France but was unable to defend his title after switching to Astana who were prevented from racing last year because of doping misdemeanors by former members of the team.
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