MONT VENTOUX, France (AP) -- Alberto Contador all but sealed his second Tour de France title Saturday, keeping the yellow jersey after a punishing mountain ride in the next to last stage. And almost certain to join him on the podium is Lance Armstrong.Armstrong, a seven-time champion in his first Tour since 2005, held off attacks from his closest challengers in the dreaded climb up Mont Ventoux to hold third place. The 37-year-old Texan arrived in a small group that included Contador, his Astana teammate, and second-place Andy Schleck of Luxembourg.
Armstrong, coming out of 3 1/2 years of retirement, wanted a higher finish in cycling's showcase race but he knew it wouldn't be easy.
"Hey, I can't complain. ... Coming out here and getting on the podium with these young guys, it's not so bad," he said.
The only thing keeping Contador from adding to his 2007 Tour title is a ceremonial ride into Paris on Sunday. The finale is a flat stage that traditionally doesn't feature breakaways, meaning only an accident can prevent the Spaniard from going down the Champs-Elysees as the winner.
"This Tour has been very difficult," he said. "Even if it could have looked easy from the spectators' point of view, there have been some moments when I doubted about victory."
Juan Manuel Garate of Spain won the 20th stage, a 104-mile course from Montelimar that culminated with a very steep 13-mile ascent to the moonscapelike peak. Massive crowds lined the winding road to the bald-faced mountaintop, possibly shielding the riders from the swirling winds.
Garate entered the stage more than 1 1/2 hours behind Contador. He finished in 4 hours, 39 minutes, 21 seconds, holding off fellow breakaway rider Tony Martin of Germany by three seconds.
Schleck was third, 38 seconds back, in the same time as Contador. Armstrong was fifth, 41 seconds behind Garate, and Frank Schleck was sixth, 43 seconds back.
Armstrong's task to finish among the top three was to hold off two rivals: Bradley Wiggins of Britain began the stage 15 seconds behind the Texan, and Frank Schleck of Luxembourg trailed him by 38.
Armstrong said the start of the ride to Mont Ventoux was a "little aggressive," but his assignment was clear.
"Following Wiggins and following Frank Schleck," he said. "And I had the legs for that."
Contador had a comfortable margin over Andy Schleck, who led at least a half-dozen attacks on the way up the peak.
"All I had to do was control Andy Schleck, and that's what I did," Contador said. "He attacked-it was a good day for him. I was able to rein him in."
Contador leads Andy Schleck overall by 4:11, with Armstrong 5:24 behind. Wiggins is fourth, 6:01 back, and Frank Schleck is fifth, 6:04 behind the Spaniard.
"Today was a difficult day," Contador said. "I had to control Andy Schleck and I managed to do it. He attacked several times. He was enjoying a good day, too. But I was able to resist. I knew that every minute that went by was bringing me closer to a Tour de France victory."
Garate said he dreamed of this stage victory last night.
"This is what I was missing-to claim a Tour stage before retiring," he said on Spanish TV. "Now, although my retirement is not close, I've made it home with the stage. What more can you ask for?"
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
7-25-2009 @ 2:04PM
DeepVoiceM4f said...
Kudos to Contador for taking the lead and establishing that he is the best Tour de France rider in 2009 (if he wins).
Amateur bike enthusiasts somehow know the inside scoop on biking's annual largest event. When I asked one such enthusiast if he believed that Mr. Armstrong used illegal drugs to win the event 7 times, his answer was an emphatic 'Yes'! To dispel some of this doubt, I suspect Mr. Armstrong would have to win again, sans doping, to put all the naysayers to rest.
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7-25-2009 @ 2:57PM
tdtdtd said...
your an idiot! armstrong is 12 years! older than contador. that's 12 years!!!! everyone gets tested after winning a stage so that would mean armstrong was tested at least 22 times during he tdf career. the only time his test results were questioned was in 99 and that test was disputed in court with a ruling in armstrongs favor. so shut your piehole jack@ss!!!!
7-28-2009 @ 1:21PM
mobilemed2000 said...
What an unbelievable example of ignorance! Armstrong was never proven to have taken performance enhancing drugs, he won 7...count'em....7 unprecedented tours and came in THIRD against the best in the world at the age of 37...only 5 minutes out of first after a 3 1/2 year layoff and a fight with cancer. Whenever someone is on top of the game, theres always some asshole insecure with his own life, who trys to bring them down. Armstrong is a true example of guts and desire to win in competition. I wouldn't be surprised to see him come back and kick that mouthy spaniard's ass the next time around.
7-25-2009 @ 2:54PM
rthate said...
Win, loose or draw, he's still out there, and that's gotta say something for the guy..something positive. Yes, he knows probably better than anyone, time finally takes it's toll, one can't expect to go one for years doing the same things, just ca't be done. Sooner or later, age will catch up, not that many care to admit to that fact, and friends, it IS fact! No amount of plastic surgery, make-up (and money) will erase the fact YOU ARE GETTING OLDER,PERIOD!!!!!
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7-25-2009 @ 3:16PM
dave said...
Lance was bitterly disappointed at not being able to rise higher in the standings. His teammate Alberto Contador has ridden each stage like a champion. This contest requires a fair degree of consistency over the entire 21 stage process, Lance was not up to the task. Like the old Brooklyn Dodgers use to say after being beaten by their arch rivals The NY Yankees in the world series "wait till next year".
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7-25-2009 @ 4:02PM
jsmith3244 said...
The guy was absent from the Tour for four years and is 37 years old, finishing 3rd against the best in the world.. and this doesn't even take into consideration his battles with cancer.
Some of you people are delusional if you don't believe that this a spectacular achievement.
Bitterly disappointed.......... I don't think so!
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7-25-2009 @ 5:35PM
Vic said...
I couldn't agree more.
The author of this article and some of the responders need to take a good hard look at reality and what it really takes to compete in the most difficult athletic even in the world!
On the podium in third place after 4 years off?
Incredible!
Disappointed? No way.
Is Lance the best to race the Tour?
I think 7 victories in a row speaks for itself.
Let's not forget he had stage 4 cancer.
He is an incredible athlete and person.
7-25-2009 @ 4:27PM
oratorcc said...
Armstrong and the Team were the real winners today...Contador followed the plan, shadowing Schlecks every move. Schlecks brother wasn`t strong enough to get away from Armstrong, Perfect Tactics ! Textbook Johan Brunele & Armstrong Managing a Win and a 3rd podium place, BRAVO !!
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7-25-2009 @ 4:39PM
oratorcc said...
Plenty to tune in for tomorrow !! The Speedsters come out to play for the Sprinters (Green) jersey. Thor Hushoff has it, but Cavendish wants it Real Bad ! Cavendish did get screwed by the race refs in one stage, but Thor deserves to win.
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7-25-2009 @ 5:31PM
jzz3skys said...
As of last night, Lance had been tested 11 times at this tour. Here's what he said on Twitter:
"Surprise" antidoping control here @ the hotel. #11 for this Tour. I'll consider it my appetizer b4 dinner.
11:30 AM Jul 24th from UberTwitter
Earlier this week, doping control woke up the Astana team at 6 a.m. the morning of a mountain stage!! That's almost like harassment.
Lance's VO2 MAX, a measurement of how efficiently your body utilizes oxygen, is unreal, something like 85%.
He ran a sub-3 hour NYC Marathon in his first attempt in 2006. His time was 2 hours 59 minutes and 35 seconds. Then he came back in 2007 and this time he ran it in 2 hours 46 minutes and 43 seconds. That 13 minutes faster, or 30 seconds per mile! Even if somebody was blood-doping it wouldn't account for that much of an improvement. He lost weight, he trained really seriously.
That averages out to six minutes 22 seconds per mile for 26.2 miles. It's almost 9 consecutive 19:45 5Ks. Try doing one at that pace! I know I can't.
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7-25-2009 @ 6:02PM
larsonrobs said...
Armstroid! What! I guess you didn't with the Novartus team.
And the final ceremonial ride in to Paris has no drama? Does the Novatrus free Greg Lemond remind you of anything.
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7-25-2009 @ 6:19PM
DeepVoiceM4f said...
tdtdtd,
I am guessing you must not allow other people the right to their opinion, if it is different from yours. I am not a cycling enthusiast and merely echoed the opinion of someone who was. To resort to name-calling reflects the shallow level of your discourse and intellect. I do hope that for the good of mankind you stay in school.
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7-25-2009 @ 6:49PM
dfeigen115 said...
Drug testing has become almost daily event with Armstrong, for those that think he's a doper, what's you explanation for the 100% negative test results, while other cyclers and atheletes are testing positive for pretty much everything every other day.
The TDF is as much a team event as it is an individual one. Could Lance have done better after a 3+yr layoff from cycling? Just as the other riders on Lance's 7 wins never challenged him for the yellow jersey, Lance would not challenge his own teammate for the win, but he (Lance) would support him once he (Contador) was in the yellow and as long as he was not showing weakness (he didn't).
I can see Lance in yellow next year.
Congrats top Contador, Armstrong, and the rest of the Astana team on a great Tour.
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7-26-2009 @ 12:12AM
joe said...
Armstong was caught in the past by the French with three different conrtraband substances! soap, deodorant and Toothpaste!! ...i rest my case.
7-25-2009 @ 8:10PM
amcled1 said...
Many great athletes have had a three year lay off and have come back pretty good although a bit rusty. Armstrong is no different. All he needs to do is commit to serious training for a year and he's got to be the favorite-and that's how great he is.
So I don't believe it's age thing at all. In fact, it's after 40 when the Rubicon turns with a world class athlete when the tendons and ligaments are no longer "young". This has been shown to be the case many times by many great athletes. The only thing that can stop Armstrong from winning next year is a freak injury like say Emile Zatopec's groin injury in later years in a comeback bid fot the Olympic Marathon. It is easier to get injured when older but if Armstrong stays in top condition he ought to be able to prevent such an jinjury and be just fine.
I do hope that if he wins another Tour that he really retires this time and goes out on top. He's on top already on top with 7 Tour de France wins-but an 8h can't hurt!
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7-26-2009 @ 1:04AM
ggreyspy said...
First of all, I applause Armstrong's effort. I have to say this ... coming out of 3 1/2 years of retirement can seriously affect an athlete's performance. Trust me on this. I was out of a sport for about ... 4 or 5 years and boy, I was never the same as i was before. Big difference. By the way, I wondered about Vicks, a former Atlanta QB. I'm not too sure if Vicks would ever been the same again. Good luck!
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7-26-2009 @ 1:27AM
Praymondc said...
Every great champion should know when to pass the torch... I'm reminded of the world's greatest Heavyweight Champion, Rocky Marciano. Rocky defended is title six(6)times before retiring undefeated. Armstrong could have retired undefeated, after defending his title seven (7) times. It's a pity he didn't know when to pass the torch.
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7-26-2009 @ 5:56AM
Jonitia said...
Lance Armstrong most likely used performance enhancing drugs during his 7 wins. He participated this year not to win, as he did not want to deal with France, but to give his staunch supporters a chance to defend him using his past health, age, and years out of the sport as excuses for his loss. Lance, I am glad you overcame your battle with cancer but everyone must agree something had to be affecting as you dumped the wife that supported you with your cancer battle, then dumped Sheryl Crow when she had cancer. The only thing you seem half way committed to is cycling.
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7-26-2009 @ 7:51AM
trmnatr2 said...
TIME TAKES ITS TOLL ON EVERY MAN.AS FOR THOSE WHO SAY ARMSTRONG DOPED,HE WAS UNDER SUCH INTENSE SCRUTINY BY THE FRENCH FOR EVERY YEAR THAT HE WON THE RACE THAT I WOULD SAY THAT IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE OR THAT THEY WOULD HAVE FOUND SOMETHING.OPINIONS FROM BIKING ENTHUSIAST ARE WORTH AS MUCH AS A WARM BUCKET OF SPIT.
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7-26-2009 @ 7:57AM
trmnatr2 said...
THE SAD THING IS THAT AFTER THE RACE,NO ONE IN THE U.S. WILL EVEN REMEMBER CONTADORS NAME.HELL DISAPPEAR INTO OBSCURITY UNTIL NEXT YEARS RACE.
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