Armstrong leads team protest over money at Giro

CHIAVENNA, Italy (AP) " Lance Armstrong commanded the spotlight again, and it had nothing to do with his seven Tour de France titles or fight against cancer.

Armstrong had a new role Friday: labor activist.

On a day when Norway's Edvald Boasson Hagen won a cold and rainy seventh stage of the Giro d'Italia and Italy's Danilo Di Luca kept the overall lead, Armstrong and all but one of his Astana teammates made a protest.

The riders, upset over not being paid salary by their Kazakhstan team, wore special jerseys that faded the sponsor names. The Astana lettering that had been clearly visible was now obscured beyond recognition.

"It's definitely not a good sign," Di Luca said. "It's the richest team in the world and the team that spends the most."

Armstrong protested on behalf of his teammates. He is riding without salary this season after 3 1/2 years of retirement. Alberto Contador, considered cycling's top rider, also competes for Astana, although he is not defending his title from last year's Giro.

The stage passed through three countries, starting in Austria and heading through Switzerland before returning to northern Italy. TV images of the protest were broadcast all over the world, with the leg lasting nearly six hours and covering 152 miles.

"My e-mail has been pretty busy during the stage. I got a response from Kazakhstan," team manager Johan Bruyneel said. "I definitely think it had a lot of effect."

The International Cycling Union has given Astana a May 31 deadline to straighten out its financial situation or risk suspension.

"We are in discussions to get this situation sorted," UCI president Pat McQuaid told The Associated Press. "The riders have not been paid for two months and we cannot accept that situation."

Efforts to reach the Kazakhstan cycling federation, which holds the team's ProTour license, were unsuccessful.

Boasson Hagen won in 5 hours, 56 minutes, 53 seconds, beating four riders in a sprint finish on a slippery road. Robert Hunter of South Africa was second and Pavel Brutt of Russia was third, both with the same time as Boasson Hagen. The main pack was 40 seconds behind.

Most of the favorites stuck with the main pack to avoid accidents. Armstrong finished 142nd, 58 seconds behind, and lost another 18 seconds to the overall leaders.

Astana teammate Levi Leipheimer remained fourth overall, 43 seconds behind Di Luca. Armstrong stayed 25th, but his gap behind Di Luca increased to 4:31.

Astana receives most of its financial support from the Kazakh state holding company Samruk-Kazyna, but the Central Asian nation's economy has been hit hard by the global financial crisis.

"I'm really sorry for them that they don't get paid," Boasson Hagen said. "I really hope they find some money so the team stays. It's not good for the sport if the team goes away."

The only logos visible on the faded jerseys were those for KazMunayGas, Trek bicycles and Armstrong's cancer foundation, Livestrong.

"(KazMunayGas) have paid. All the other sponsors from Kazakhstan have not paid," Bruyneel said, adding the protest would go on until the payments are made. "It needs to be fixed " completely."

Armstrong indicated last week he was talking to U.S. sponsors about taking over the team himself. That may be his only solution if he wants to go for an eighth Tour de France title in July.

"We're definitely looking into all our options," said Bruyneel, who would likely partner with Armstrong in such a venture.

McQuaid was hesitant when asked if Armstrong and Bruyneel could conceivably take over.

"At the end of the day you need a lot of money to form a team," he said. "The UCI would need certain guarantees. We currently have guarantees from the Kazakhstan federation but the payments have been interrupted. I don't want to pre-empt any arrangements. Kazakhstan has invested a lot of money in cycling over the last few years."

However, McQuaid added, "It's one of the biggest teams in the sport. We want to make sure the team continues under one guise or another."

Friday's stage began in Innsbruck, Austria, crossed through Switzerland past the St. Moritz ski resort and concluded with a steep and dangerous downhill run made even trickier by the rain. With the temperature falling to 45 degrees, riders tried to keep warm with gloves and jackets.

The most visible words on Armstrong's clothing were the bright yellow letters of 'Livestrong' printed on his long black sleeves.