COL DU TOURMALET – Andy Schleck insisted the battle for the Tour de France yellow jersey is not over despite Spanish rival Alberto Contador defending his lead on the race’s final climbing stage Thursday.

Schleck launched attack after attack on Contador as the pair dueled up the final 10km of the 18.6km slog to the summit of the legendary Col du Tourmalet on stage 17.

In the end, Contador allowed Schleck to take the stage win but emerged with the bigger prize of the yellow jersey still on his back and his eight-second lead intact to all but secure his third triumph on the race.

Schleck’s last chance to overhaul Contador would be in Saturday’s penultimate stage time trial over a 52km-long flat course, a discipline in which the Spaniard has a far better record.

On Wednesday, Schleck said the rider who ended Thursday’s final climbing stage would go on to win the race in Paris on Sunday.

But he said that prediction has now been revised.

“I changed my mind when I crossed the finish line today,” said the Luxemburger, the runner-up to Contador in 2009.

“My dad always said that the riders who did a good time trial fell off their bikes (with fatigue) at the finish line, and that’s what I plan to do on Saturday.

“There’s only eight seconds between us. I can see the yellow jersey in front of me and I’m not going to give up until we get to Paris.

“Along with him (Contador), maybe now I’m the best climber on this Tour. I hope I can also match him in the time trial.”

On paper, Schleck’s task looks a formidable one.

Contador finished over four minutes ahead of Schleck in last year’s race, with 1:45 of that advantage coming from the 40.5km time trial he won around Lake Annecy on stage 18.

Schleck is said to have improved in the race against the clock in the past year, while Contador has, if anything, flattered to deceive.

However Contador will still be the favourite, a feeling seven-time champion Lance Armstrong shares.

“I think he (Contador) is confident he will win the Tour,” said Armstrong, after arriving 4min 12sec behind the pair to move up two places to 23rd at 37:58 behind Contador.

Contador was wearing a grin at the post-race media conference which suggested he has every confidence of maintaining his lead.

Yet he still gave Schleck a glimmer of hope.

“I haven’t won my third Tour de France yet. We’ve still to reach Paris, and we have a very long and hard time trial on Saturday,” said the Spaniard.

“The race is not finished. Things can happen every day. I’m in a good position, but you never know. Andy could produce the time trial of his life.”

They say, however, that racing with the yellow jersey adds confidence to any rider’s performance and Contador will go into Saturday’s 19th stage confident.

On Thursday the Spaniard had the tough task of sticking on Schleck’s wheel, a challenge he met by also refusing to pull in front when the Luxemburger beckoned.

After wards, Schleck conceded: “I told him to take a relay, of course with the intention of then attacking him.

“But he’s smart. And he knew all he had to do was stay on my wheel. Alberto showed today that he knows how to race when it comes to tactics.”

Contador added: “It was a really hard stage, but tactically it was easy for me because I just had to watch Andy. The most important thing for me was not to lose time.

“He set a really fast pace on the climb but part of that was because he was also trying to drop the guys behind us as far possible down the standings.”

Article: AFP (Justin Davis)
Photo: CorVos