Hushovd wins rain-soaked Barcelona stage

BARCELONA (Reuters) - Thor Hushovd has always relished tough finishes and rainy conditions, both of which helped the Norwegian snatch his seventh Tour de France stage win in Barcelona on Thursday.

He surged in last stretch of the 181.5-km sixth stage from Girona to overpower two Spaniards in front of the 1992 Olympic Stadium -- pre-stage favourite Oscar Freire and Jose Joaquin Rojas.

Swiss Fabian Cancellara crossed the line in 10th place and retained his overall leader's yellow jersey. Seven-times champion Lance Armstrong, who came back from retirement in January, stayed in second.

"It was very nervous," Armstrong told reporters. There have not been many days I regretted my decision (to return to cycling). This might be one of them.

"We were always on the edge, with crashes all around, dangerous hills. There is one word to describe the day -- scary. It was nerve-wracking."

Hushovd's victory gave his team Cervelo their first win in the race.

"I knew I could do something in this stage but it was very hard because of the weather conditions and the slippery roads," the 31-year-old said.

"It was Cervelo's first goal to win a stage, now we can concentrate on helping Carlos Sastre retain his Tour crown," he added.

Spain's Sastre was one of many riders to crash during the rain-soaked stage, but he made it back on his bike unhurt.