SILVER CITY, New Mexico, May 2, 2009 (AFP) – Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong accomplished the all-important mission of avoiding mishap Saturday in the potentially dangerous criterium stage of the Tour of the Gila cycle race.

Armstrong, racing for the first time since breaking his collarbone in a race in Spain on March 23, had admitted that the 40-lap race around a 1.08-mile course in the center of the mining town of Silver City was a daunting prospect.

Indeed with two laps remaining, Armstrong and teammates Levi Leipheimer and Chris Horner had a near miss as the pack raced into the second turn.

Armstrong was near the front of the field with overall race leader Leipheimer a few bike lengths back and Horner behind him.

“Levi got tagged and lost the back tire and we had to do a bike change,” Horner said. “He came off hard but stayed on the feet of the bike.”

The Astana teammates are entered independently in the five-stage Tour of the Gila, using it as training for the Giro d’Italia that starts next week and the Tour de France.

Astana manager Johan Bruyneel said before the race that the trio needed to focus on staying out of trouble.

“It’s a special race, the criterium, and our guys are not really used to that type of effort,” he said.

Sunday’s mountainous, 105.7-mile final stage is the real focus of the Astana teammates as they prepare for their European campaign.

“We’ll see how it goes, but I think things look good for the start of the Giro,” said Bruyneel, who said that Leipheimer is currently the strongest Astana rider.