MONT VENTOUX, France — Alberto Contador is basking in double satisfaction: A victory in the Tour de France is an easy ride away, and he’s pulled it off in spite of his own team — and Lance Armstrong.
The 26-year-old Spaniard all but secured a second victory in cycling’s main event Saturday by fending off challengers in the race climax on one of France’s toughest climbs: Mont Ventoux.
Armstrong, the seven-time champion, will be on the podium for an eighth time, but he’s third — not on the step he had aimed for.
When he sees Contador in the yellow jersey on the Champs-Elysees, Armstrong — after not-so-subtle verbal jabs against the Spaniard during the three-week race — could very well be green.
In the heat of the race, Contador had sought to play down the differences in their Kazakh Astana team, dodging or downplaying questions about “tension” that Armstrong evoked.
With victory nearly certain, the Spaniard opened up a bit.
“My conscience is very clear because in the end I have run two races, one on the bike and one at the team hotel,” he said after Saturday’s ride.
Contador knew his task in the Tour would be tricky when Armstrong announced last year he was coming back from retirement to join his old mentor, Johan Bruyneel, on the Astana team. The Belgian strategist had been training Contador as his new cycling star.
Once the Tour was on, and as Armstrong’s barbs flew, Contador counted the days and tried to focus on his racing — not on the Texan and tensions at the team dinner table.
“Every day, I told myself, ‘One day less,’ ” he said after Saturday’s stage. “Now, it’s all settled. The situation is back to normal.”
Armstrong and Bruyneel are very close. Contador was asked whether he thought that the team manager would have rather seen Armstrong win.
“That’s a good question,” the Spaniard said.
While much has been made of Armstrong’s comeback, Contador made one too: He was unable to defend his 2007 title because Astana was not invited last year because of a doping scandal before he joined.
With Armstrong set to lead a new RadioShack team next year and Bruyneel still coy about his own future, Contador’s plans are still uncertain. But he knows he won’t team with Armstrong again.
“He wanted to win. I wanted to win,” Contador said. “That doesn’t make for a necessarily compatible situation.”
At a glance
A brief look at Saturday’s 20th stage of the Tour de France:
Stage: A 104-mile stage from Montelimar to Mont Ventoux, with a 13-mile final ascent at an average gradient of 7.6 percent.
Winner: Juan Manuel Garate. The Spaniard, who entered the stage more than 1 1/2 hours behind race leader Alberto Contador in the overall standings, clocked 4 hours, 39 minutes, 21 seconds, holding off fellow breakaway rider Tony Martin of Germany by 3 seconds. Andy Schleck, who remained second overall, finished third, 38 seconds back — in the same time as Contador. Lance Armstrong was fifth, 41 seconds behind Garate, and Frank Schleck was sixth, 43 seconds back.
Yellow jersey: Contador, who all but sealed his second Tour de France victory. He leads Andy Schleck by 4:11. Seven-time winner Armstrong is third overall, 5:24 behind his Astana teammate.
How Garmin-Slipstream fared: Bradley Wiggins finished 10th on Saturday and teammate Christian Vande Velde was 16th. Wiggins is fourth overall and Vande Velde is eighth.
Last stage: Today’s stage is a largely ceremonial 102-mile trek from Montereau-Fault- Yonne to the Champs-Elysees in Paris.
