Tour de Contador: Spaniard repeats

Associated Press

PAUILLAC, France

Wiping away tears, Alberto Contador is ready for the champagne to flow.

After three daunting weeks of crashes, biting cold, fog and searing heat, he is set to become the Tour de France champion again.

The Spaniard all but captured his third title in four years Saturday by holding off a full-bore challenge from his main rival, Andy Schleck of Luxembourg, in a 32-mile individual time trial in the next-to-last stage. Today’s ride into Paris is a mostly ceremonial affair.

“I am very moved ... It was a difficult Tour and I’m very happy,” a tearful Contador said.

He took a deep breath and his hand trembled as he fired an index finger — the trademark gesture by the rider nicknamed “El Pistolero” — to fans after donning the yellow jersey one more time.

“I think it’s the first Tour that has given me so much emotion, you can’t imagine,” he said.

Contador wasn’t in top form, but did what he had to. The defending champion extended his lead over Schleck from eight seconds to 39 in a stage won by Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland.

Now Contador surely gets to wear yellow on the Champs-Elysees. And as the unquestioned leader of his sport at 27 years old, he remains on track for a possible challenge to Lance Armstrong’s record of seven Tour wins.

Barring a wild turn of events, Contador awaits a coronation in the 20th and final stage today — a 64-mile ride from Longjumeau to the famed Paris thoroughfare. Any attempted attacks by riders would likely be quashed by Contador and his Astana teammates.

Contador will have won the Tour without winning a stage. He’ll become the first champion to have done that since Greg LeMond of the U.S. won the last of his three titles in 1990, not counting 2006 when Oscar Pereiro of Spain inherited his title only after American Floyd Landis lost it for doping.

Contador acknowledged this wasn’t his best Tour.

“Cycling is not like mathematics. There are moments when you are very well-prepared and everything runs smoothly. But this year, maybe I was not in the best shape really,” he said.

“Today I was not feeling so well: I didn’t sleep well, I had a stomachache,” Contador said through a translator, before adding: “Eventually, things went pretty well.”

Schleck, who is poised to finish second to Contador for the second straight year, had no regrets.

“Beating Contador is not easy, but I tried everything,” Schleck said. “I am happy, and I’ll come back next year to win.”

“I think I did the best time-trial of my cycling life so far,” he added.

Armstrong is set to go out with a whimper in his last Tour. The 38-year-old Texan once dominated time trials. But he finished Saturday’s stage in 67th place, 7:05 back of Cancellara. Overall, he is 23rd — 39:20 behind Contador, his former teammate and rival.

Armstrong returned to a RadioShack team car and left without speaking to reporters after the stage.

In last year’s Tour, tensions flared between Contador and Armstrong, who finished third in his Tour comeback after four years of retirement from the race he dominated from 1999 to 2005. Now, the two enjoy a “mutual respect,” Contador said.

Armstrong still can walk away with pride: His RadioShack squad is set to win the team competition.