Reims, France ? Lance Armstrong returned to the site of his first Tour de France success Tuesday, content this time to ride easy through the heart of champagne country and a hub of American sentiment.

Robbie Mcewen of Austraila, right, and Erik Zabel of Germany, left, battle during the final sprint of the third stage of the Tour de France Tuesday. McEwen surged ahead of Zabel and won the stage.

The 30-year-old Texan finished the 108.19-mile third stage through eastern France from Metz to Reims in 33rd place, as his U.S. Postal Service team turned its sights toward Wednesday’s team time trial, a 41.85-mile course that runs from the Champagne capital of Epernay to the historic town of Chateau-Thierry.

Tuesday’s course took riders through the World War I battlefield of Verdun, where Armstrong won his first Tour stage in 1993 the year he won the World Championship.

Australia’s Robbie McEwen won the stage Tuesday, in 4 hours, 13 minutes, 17 seconds. He thrust clenched fists into the air as he crossed the finish line in a sprint just ahead of Germany’s Erik Zabel, who took the overall leader’s yellow jersey.

Armstrong finished in a pack of 185 other riders that clocked the same time as McEwen. Armstrong slipped to fifth place overall, from fourth, but was right where he wants to be at this point in the 21-day event.