Contador gifts Schleck Tour stage win

BY JULIEN PRETOT

Last updated 06:33 23/07/2010

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Alberto Contador celebrates his third Tour de France win at the start of the 20th and final stage of from Longjumeau to the Champs-Elysees in Paris.

Spain's Alberto Contador (right) on the podium with Luxembourg's Andy Schleck (left) at the end of the 102.5km final stage of the 2010 Tour de France cycling race.

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero (left) receives a yellow jersey from Tour de France winner Spanish Alberto Contador after their meeting at the Moncloa palace in Madrid.

Tour de France winner Spanish Alberto Contador smiles while being acclaimed by hundreds of supporters at his home village of Pinto, near Madrid on the same day he was named the world's top ranked cyclist.

Britain's Mark Cavendish (centre) spints on the finish line as he wins ahead of Italy's Alessandro Petacchi (third from left), New-Zealand's Julian Dean (second from left) and Belgium's Jurgen Roelandts (left) at the end of the 102.5km last stage of the Tour de France.

Seven times Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong poses on the podium with his black jersey to support the 28 millions people living with cancer after he participated for the last time in the cycling classic.

Andy Schleck (left) shares a joke with Alberto Contador at the start of the final stage of Le Tour de France.

Team Radioshack change their kits during the final stage of Le Tour de France.

Britain's Mark Cavendish (right) celebrates on the finish line as he wins ahead of Italy's Alessandro Petacchi (third from left), New-Zealand's Julian Dean (second fome left) and Belgium's Jurgen Roelandts (left) at the end of the final stage of the 2010 Tour de France.

Actor Tom Cruise and actress Cameron Diaz

Luxembourg's Andy Schleck crosses the finish line ahead of Spaniard Alberto Contador at the end of stage 17 of the Tour de France in Col du Tourmalet, France.

Spain's Alberto Contador celebrates his yellow jersey as overall leader on the podium at the end of the 174km 17th stage of the Tour de France between Pau and the famous Col du Tourmalet pass in French Pyrenees.

Luxembourg's Andy Schleck (right) heads to the finish line ahead of Spaniard Alberto Contador at the end of stage 17 of the Tour de France in Col du Tourmalet, France.

The pack rides in Col du Tourmalet pass during the 174km 17th stage of the 2010 Tour de France between Pau and the famous Col du Tourmalet pass in French Pyrenees.

The pack rides in the fog in the 174km 17th stage of the 2010 Tour de France between Pau and the famous Col du Tourmalet pass in French Pyrenees.

France's Pierrick Fedrigo (left) celebrates on the finish line as he wins - ahead of France's Sandy Casar (second from right), France's Ruben Plaza (second from left) and US Lance Armstrong (right) - the 199.5km 16th stage of the 2010 Tour de France.

Lance Armstrong is given feeding bottles as he breaks away in the first kilometres of the Col du Tourmalet pass during the 199.5km 16th stage of the 2010 Tour de France.

France's Pierrick Fedrigo celebrates on the finish line as he wins the 199.5km 16th stage of the 2010 Tour de France between Bagneres-de-Luchon and Pau, southwestern France.

The pack rides in the Col de Peyresoudre pass during the 199.5km 16th stage of the 2010 Tour de France.

The lead group of riders head up a climb during stage 16 of the Tour de France. The stage, between Bagneres-de-Luchon and Pau, featured four major climbs including the Col du Tourmalet.

Italy's Paolo Tiralongo drinks as he rides in the 199.5km 16th stage of the 2010 Tour de France between Bagneres-de-Luchon and Pau, southwestern France.

Spaniard Alberto Contador wears the yellow jersey on the podium after taking it from Luxembourg's Andy Schleck following stage 15 of the Tour de France.

Andy Schleck (left) is comforted by Belgium's Jurgen Van den Broeck on the finish line at the end of the 187km 15th stage of the Tour de France in which Schleck lost the tour lead to Alberto Contador.

Luxembourg's Andy Schleck (right) looks at his chain as he rides with Spain's Alberto Contador, Belgium's Jurgen Van den Broeck and Kazakh's Alexandre Vinokourov in the 187km 15th stage of the Tour de France.

Thomas Voeckler wins stage 15 of the Tour de France.

Andy Schleck (yellow jersey) of Luxembourg descends at the front of the peloton during stage 15 of the Tour de France.

Luxembourg's Andy Schleck, in the yellow jersey, chases Spain’s Alberto Contador on the final climb of Stage 14 of the Tour de France.

Fans cheer on yellow jersey of overall leader, Luxembourg's Andy Schleck (left) riding with Tour de France 2009 winner Spain's Alberto Contador during the 184.5km and 14th stage of the 2010 Tour de France.

France's Christophe Riblon celebrates on the finish line as he wins the 184.5km 14th stage of the 2010 Tour de France.

Television screen grabs of the incident involving Kiwi Julian Dean and Australian Mark Renshaw at the end of stage 11 on the Tour de France.

Yukiya Arashiro of Japan (third from left), Tyler Farrar of the US (centre with orange helmet), stage winner Mark Cavendish of Britain (leading) and Thor Hushovd of Norway (right in the best sprinter's green jersey) sprint towards the finish line of the 11th stage of the Tour de France.

Britain's Mark Cavendish (right) sprints on the finish line as he wins the 184.5km 11th stage of the Tour de France between Sisteron and Bourg-les-Valence, southeastern France.

Britain Mark Cavendish of team HTC-Columbia crosses the finish to win stage 11 of the Tour de France in Bourg-les-Valence, France.

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Italy's Paolo Tiralongo carries bananas for his team leader, Spain's Alberto Contador as he rides the 8th stage of the Tour de France.

The pendant of Belgium's Francis De Greef prior to the start of the ninth stage of the Tour de France.

The bike of Andy Schleck of team Saxo Bank before the start of stage nine of the Tour de France.

Francaise des Jeux team rider Sandy Casar of France crosses the finish to win stage nine of the Tour de France.

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Juan Antonio Flecha of Spain in action during stage nine of the Tour de France.

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Andy Schleck of Luxembourg (centre) leads Alberto Contador (right) of Spain and José Ivan Gutierrez Palacios of Spain on the Col de la Madeleine during stage nine of the Tour de France from Morzine-Avoriaz to Saint Jean de Maurienne.

Andy Schleck of team Saxo Bank puts on the yellow jersey following the end of stage nine of the Tour de France.

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A combo shows Tour de France seven-times winner, US Lance Armstrong stopped after a crash with Spain's Ivan Velasco (down), Denmark's Matti Breschel (C, partly hidden), Spain's Egoi Martinez (R) and Sylvester Szmyd (L) on the eighth stage of the Tour De France.

Italy's Alessandro Petacchi (right) sprints on the finish line ahead of New-Zealand's Julian Dean (left) in Reims, Eastern France as he wins the 153.5km fourth stage of the Tour de France.

Italy's Alessandro Petacchi (right) sprints on the finish line ahead of New-Zealand's Julian Dean (centre) and Norway's Edvald Boasson Hagen (second from left) in Reims, Eastern France as he wins the 153.5km fourth stage of the 2010 Tour de France.

Italy's Alessandro Petacchi (right) celebrates on the finish line ahead of New-Zealand's Julian Dean (centre) and Norway's Edvald Boasson Hagen (left) in Reims, Eastern France as he wins the 153.5km fourth stage of the Tour de France.

Riders fall on a cobblestone sector during the third stage of the Tour de France cycling race between Wanze and Arenberg-Porte Du Hainaut.

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Luxembourg's Frank Schleck receives medical assistance from Tour de France doctor Gerard Porte after he crashed in the first cobblestones sector at the end of the 213km third stage of the Tour de France.

France's Sylvain Chavanel (left) rides on a cobblestones area of Tilloy-Lez-Marchiennes, during the 213km third stage of the Tour de France.

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Luxembourg's Frank Schleck of team Saxo Bank rides on after a crash along stage two of the Tour de France.

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Luxembourg's Andy Schleck starts riding after changing his tyre during the second stage of the 2010 Tour de France.

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Overall leader Alberto Contador let his main rival Andy Schleck win the Tour de France's showpiece stage at the top of the fog-covered Tourmalet in the knowledge he has a firm grip on his third Tour de France title.

The pair left the rest behind in the last ascent to the Pyrenees summit and embraced after crossing the line of the 174km 17th stage.

Schleck's second stage win in the tour is a sweet consolation for the Luxembourg rider, who faces the near-impossible task of trying to beat the defending champion in Saturday night's (NZ time) 52km time trial.

Spaniard Contador, one of five men to have won the Tour, the Giro and the Vuelta, is set to go into the time trial with an eight-second advantage over Schleck and is the better rider of the two in the timed effort.

"I gave everything, but he also attacked to show me that he was feeling great and that I could not drop him," Schleck, who was runner-up to Contador last year, told reporters.

"At the end of the stage, he did not really sprint, he showed great respect, it was important for me to win this stage.

"Eight seconds ahead of the time trial does not look good but we never know, it's not over before Paris," added Schleck.

Contador's gesture had echoes of seven-times champion Lance Armstrong who, when in a similar situation, let his rivals enjoy the satisfaction of a stage victory.

"Of course I have not won a stage but the main goal is to win the Tour," said Contador, who did not win a stage during his victorious 2008 Giro.

TEMPERATURES DROPPED

"Today it was a good opportunity to win one but if I look at the situation in the overall standings, it's fine."

Following a heatwave that sapped the peloton's energy in the first two weeks of the Tour, temperatures dropped to eight degrees Celsius at top of the Tourmalet after thunderstorms rumbled through the mountains all night.

A flock of sheep ran through the peloton in the ascent to the Col du Soulor and a few puzzled riders zigzagged to avoid a crash.

They cut through thick fog in the tricky, 19-km descent from the Soulor with 2008 champion Carlos Sastre stuck on his own between the peloton and seven breakaway riders.

Sastre was reeled in 25 km from the line and the battle began.

Schleck's Saxo Bank team brutally increased the pace as they took over Contador's Astana colleagues in front of the bunch at foot of the final climb.

His work done, Saxo Bank's world time trial champion Fabian Cancellara pulled over on the side of the road, his face a mask of pain.

Astana's Alexandre Vinokourov and then Daniel Navarro were dropped and with 12 km left, Contador was on his own.

Two kilometres later, Schleck jumped away from the pack.

However, Contador was glued to his rear wheel and the Spaniard never let him get away as the duo, seemingly effortlessly, picked off the remnants of the breakaway.

With only the loud cheers of the fans to warm them up and the race motorbikes and cars' headlights to guide the way through the mist, Schleck and Contador climbed at a steady but fast pace.

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Contador tried to attack with just under four kilometres left but Schleck hung on, raising his arms in celebration as he crossed the line.

Spain's Samuel Sanchez retained his third place overall, 3:32 behind Contador, despite crashing early in the stage, and Russian Denis Menchov was still fourth, 3:53 off the pace.

- Reuters