Top contenders now include 35-year-old Russian Denis Menchov, a two-time Tour of Spain winner, the Schleck brothers and the 2008 Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre of Spain.

BBC: Cavendish in red

"To me, it's obvious that Astana should have one leader and to me, that leader is Contador, " Riis -- whose CSC team won the race last year with Carlos Sastre -- told reporters.

CNN: 'Nervous' Armstrong eyes eighth Tour success

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.

CNN: Cavendish wins again as Armstrong moves up