Latvians toast Le Tour

Among the swarm of Tour De France cyclists from powerhouse peddling nations like Italy, France and Germany to finish the world's toughest bike race on July 23 were two Latvians who left more than a few of the big boys behind.

When the front of the Tour De France pack made their break for their finish on the Champs Elysees, Riga-born Romans Vainsteins was with them. Vainsteins finished third in the final stage, his sixth top-10 finish in the 21-stage, 3,000-kilometer race that circumnavigates France over three weeks.

His fellow countryman Arvis Piziks wasn't far behind, finishing 10th on the Champs Elysees, according to the Tour's official results.

Behind them both were most of the top riders, including Tour winner Lance Armstrong of the U.S.

Stefano Zanini of Italy won the final stage and Germany's Erik Zabel, who finished inches ahead of Vainsteins, was second.

Vainsteins, who turned 27 in March and turned professional in 1998, was racing in his first Tour. And judging by his results it won't be his last.

Though Vainsteins finished a rather humdrum 82nd overall, he notched three top-five finishes - all in sprint stages - and finished a very respectable third in the Tour's points race, which rewards the rider with one of the tour's coveted champions jerseys.

In the overall standings, Vainsteins was 2 hours, 38 minutes and 10 seconds behind Armstrong.

Piziks, 30, was 93rd - behind Armstrong by 2:46:06 - and finished in the top 10 in three stages, including a sixth place in stage six.

With those results, Tour organizers might pay more attention to Piziks next year.

Nearly 200 riders began the race and 128 finished, according to official results.