PARIS - Lance Armstrong finished 140th Sunday in the prologue of the Paris-Nice cycling race, a key tuneup for the Tour de France in July when he will go for a record seventh straight title.

Armstrong previously rode in this event in 1999, and he has not placed a priority on winning. In the prologue, the Texan was 27 seconds behind winner Jens Voigt of Germany.

Voigt of Team CSC completed the 2.47-mile race around Issy-Les-Moulineaux in 5 minutes, 15.41 seconds. He was two seconds ahead of Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland and three ahead of Erik Dekker of the Netherlands.

"It was not a very technical course," said Voigt, who recovered from an upset stomach to take part. "I was decisive in the first two kilometers. I used my speed and power and then I was able to maintain my rhythm."

The race resumes Monday with a 115-mile ride from Etampes to Chabris and ends March 13.

Team CSC, directed by 1996 Tour de France winner Bjarne Riis, won the race last year with another German, Jorg Jacksche. Voigt's teammates also did well - Vladimir Gusev was fourth, David Zabriskie eighth and Kurt-Asle Arvesen 12th.

"It is not just Jens who can win the race," Riis said. "We have two or three others in a good position."

Alexander Vinokourov of the T-Mobile team, a two-time Paris-Nice winner, finished seven seconds behind Voigt in 16th spot.

Armstrong said there's a chance he will ride in the Paris-Roubaix on April 10, but he's leaving the decision to team director Johan Bruyneel. That race is part of the World Cup calendar and is notoriously tough, featuring nearly 32 miles of bumpy cobblestone roads. The route can be slippery, leading to dangerous spills.

"There is a small chance I will do it," Armstrong told French television.

As for his decision to go for another Tour victory in July, Armstrong said: "I wanted to think for a while and savor the sixth Tour win and figure out what I wanted to do in 2005. The Tour de France is the most important race in the world."

Armstrong said 1997 Tour de France winner and five-time runner-up Jan Ullrich of the T-Mobile team remains his main challenger.

"He has a great team around him," Armstrong said. "And there are also a lot of new faces like (Damiano) Cunego, and the return of (Joseba) Beloki. It will be good for the fans."

Armstrong also would also like to pursue cycling's prestigious hour record, although he is not sure when he would attempt it.

"It is a fascinating event, to suffer for an hour," he said. "Athletes say it is the hardest hour you can have, and that's an interesting idea for me."