MONTARGIS, France - Lance Armstrong had second thoughts about wearing the coveted yellow jersey at the Tour de France.

His choice immediately became clear when the race director told him to wear it - or he wouldn't be allowed to race.

"It didn't feel right to take the jersey on somebody else's misfortune," the six-time defending champion said.

Armstrong, who retained his overall lead Wednesday, tried to start the day without the leader's yellow jersey on his back. Out of "respect" for David Zabriske, who lost it when he crashed a day earlier, Armstrong set off in the pre-race ride wearing his blue and white Discovery Channel uniform. But race officials stopped everybody before the starting line and asked Armstrong to put on le maillot jaune.

"There was no problem, just a little confusion in the beginning, having not started in the jersey," Armstrong said. "I didn't feel that it was right to start in the jersey."

Tour director Jean-Marie Leblanc then got strict about the rule book, which states that the overall race leader "must wear" the yellow jersey.

"There was no negotiation," Armstrong told France-2 television. "Jean-Marie said: `You don't start in the jersey, and you don't start tomorrow.' So I said 'OK.'"

Armstrong cruised safely to a 45th-place finish in the 113.7-mile ride from Chambord to Montargis, a stage won by Australian Robbie McEwen. Armstrong retained his overall lead: 55 seconds over Discovery Channel teammate George Hincapie; 64 over Jens Voigt and 67 over Bobby Julich - both of Team CSC.

Zabriskie, also of Team CSC, fell in the final moments of Tuesday's fourth stage team time trial and slipped down to ninth overall.

Having watched footage of the spill, Armstrong thought Zabriskie's team would have won the stage without the accident.

"I wanted to try and do the right thing and make some sort of a sporting gesture," Armstrong said. "In light of the tradition of the last 30 or 40 years, no one really takes (the yellow jersey) if there is a crash."

Other riders have made the same decision.

In 1971, Eddy Merckx took the race lead after a fall by Luis Ocana, but opted not to wear yellow the next day. In 1998, Britain's Chris Boardman crashed in stage two and Germany's Erik Zabel also decided not to wear it.

However, Armstrong understands the Tour now has wider concerns.

"They obviously have obligations to the sponsors and also to the race, and also to the people," Armstrong said. "Maybe they drove three hours to stand on the side of the road and see a yellow jersey pass by."

In Wednesday's stage, Armstrong rolled along in the middle of the pack, surrounded by teammates protecting him from sprinters jostling for positions on slick roads.

In the early stages of the 23-day Tour, Armstrong isn't looking for daily wins but to stay clear of danger.

There were several crashes - and one involving Basso, who recovered and finished.

The speeding herd of cyclists had to negotiate a sharp right turn with only about 500 yards to go. McEwen held off Boonen, winner of the second and third stages.

"I waited for the right moment," McEwen said. "I didn't want to wait to attack from too far out. I was the fastest today."

McEwen is battling Boonen for the green jersey, awarded at the end of the Tour to the best overall sprinter. McEwen had crossed the line in third place on Monday but race officials disqualified him from that stage for butting countryman Stuart O'Grady.

"It's a sort of revenge," McEwen said after winning on Wednesday. "I was very frustrated by that. Today my teammates did an excellent job."

While McEwen, Boonen and Hushovd will resume their green-jersey battle Thursday, Armstrong again relies on his team to shield him from danger over the 199-mile (123.7-kilometer) trek from Troyes to Nancy - a mainly flat route with some small hills which leads the peloton into eastern France and closer to Germany.

After that, the Tour heads south toward the Alps, where sprinters take a back seat as Armstrong scraps in the climbs.

AP-ES-07-07-05 0317EDT