PINOS ALTOS, N.M.  It has taken four months of racing on three continents, and one harrowing crash, but amid the pine forests surrounding this high-altitude town came the first true sign that Lance Armstrong’s comeback may not achieve its stated aim of an eighth Tour de France title.

Until now, Armstrong had been working his way back into shape after his three-and-a-half-year hiatus, focusing on helping his teammates and recovering from a broken collarbone he sustained in a spill last month in Spain. Winning was not important.

But on Sunday, despite a game plan that called for two of the country’s best cyclists  his teammates Levi Leipheimer and Chris Horner  to carry Armstrong to the finish line of a grueling, crash-filled 105.7-mile final stage of the Tour of the Gila, he could not cross it first.

Philip Zajicek, a 30-year-old journeyman, made his break with 200 yards to go and Armstrong, 37, did not have enough to answer, pulling up with Leipheimer, the overall winner. They crossed the finish line 12 seconds later, Armstrong sitting up in his saddle. He was second over all.