Bicycle .net :: Tour de France Stage 19 Review and Highlights – Cognac to Angoulême

Tour de France Stage 19 Review and Highlights – Cognac to Angoulême – Individual Time Trial (55km)

By VeloGuy on July 28th, 2007

Leipheimer wins final TT; Contador narrowly holds yellow
By Jason Sumner @ VeloNews.com

Throw in the two rest days, and Alberto Contador’s winning margin at the 2007 Tour de France is destined to equal one tick of the watch per day. Those 23 seconds will represent the second smallest final time difference in the race’s 94 renditions, trailing only Greg LeMond’s eight-second triumph over Laurent Fignon in 1989.

This year’s near-record breaker came to pass during a breathtaking stage-19 time trial that left the outcome in doubt until the final kilometer, when Contador narrowly held off stiff challenges from Cadel Evans and Levi Leipheimer to maintain his slim overall lead.

Though he lost most of the 1:50 advantage he started Saturday with, the 24-year-old Spaniard now heads to Paris Sunday for a date with the top step of the final podium on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées.

I am only beginning to realize what is happening, and it’s great for me,” said Contador, who took over the race lead on Thursday following Michael Rasmussen’s controversial eviction from the Tour by his Rabobank team.

“There was a moment with 30km to go that I was worried because my legs were feeling a little heavy. Then they told me that the reference time was 30 seconds with 4km to go and I gave everything to hold on.”

Contador got an added boost of motivation from Discovery Channel team co-owner and seven-time Tour champ Lance Armstrong, who rode shotgun in the team car.

“He never told me anything concrete,” said Contador. “But just being here helped.”

Meanwhile, the 33-year-old Leipheimer (Discovery Channel) grabbed the first Tour stage victory of his career, ripping around the 55.5km TT course from Cognac to Angouleme, averaging a blistering 53.1kph and stopping the clock in 1:02:44. That was 51 seconds better than runner-up Evans (Predictor-Lotto), who enters the final day just eight seconds ahead of the American in the chase for second place.

“This is something I’ve always dreamt of,” said Leipheimer, adding he didn’t plan on chasing the Aussie further on the Tour’s final day. “I think after today I really deserve a place on the final podium … Alberto is going to win the Tour and I’m in third. Cadel doesn’t have to worry. We’re going to enjoy the day. Today I had the best legs of my life.”

Evans, too, figured the final podium was set despite the small time gaps.

“Theoretically it’s possible, but let’s digest today’s stage first,” said Evans, who is set to become the first Australian to make the Tour’s top three. “I’m not too disappointed. All along my aim was to do better than last year, when I came fifth. This year I’m second, but of course when you’re so close to winning. . . . I could be disappointed, but what’s it going to change?”
FULL STORY @ Velonews.com

Levi Leipheimer wins his first stage at the Tour de France

Stage 19 Results
1 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Discovery Channel 1.02.45 (53.068 km/h)
2 Cadel Evans (Aus) Predictor-Lotto 0.50
3 Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Caisse d’Epargne 1.56
4 Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) Discovery Channel 2.01
5 Alberto Contador (Spa) Discovery Channel 2.18
6 Iván Gutiérrez (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne 2.26
7 George Hincapie (USA) Discovery Channel 2.32
8 Oscar Pereiro (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne 2.35
9 Leif Hoste (Bel) Predictor – Lotto 2.48
10 Mikel Astarloza (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 2.49
Full Results and Live Text Coverage by Cyclingnews

General Classification after Stage 19
1 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 87.09.18
2 Cadel Evans (Aus) Predictor – Lotto 0.23
3 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 0.31
4 Carlos Sastre Candil (Spa) Team CSC 7.08
5 Haimar Zubeldia Agirre (Spa) Euskaltel – Euskadi 8.17
6 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne 11.37
7 Kim Kirchen (Lux) T-Mobile Team 12.18
8 Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 12.30
9 Mikel Astarloza Chaurreau (Spa) Euskaltel – Euskadi 14.14
10 Oscar Pereiro Sio (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne 14.25
11 Mauricio Soler (Col) Barloworld 16.41
12 Michael Boogerd (Ned) Rabobank 21.05
13 David Arroyo Duran (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne 21.49
14 Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Caisse d’Epargne 24.05
15 Chris Horner (USA) Predictor – Lotto 25.09

bicycle report Full Report by VeloNews
bicycle photo Graham Watson’s Stage 19 Photos