COL DU TOURMALET, France — Alberto Contador never wavered.
Under a blistering attack from Andy Schleck, the Spaniard tightened his grip on a third Tour de France title in four years by matching every acceleration his rival threw at him during the ride up a fabled Pyrenean climb in Thursday’s 17th stage.
Schleck delivered on his promise to ride well on the last mountain of this year’s race. It just wasn’t enough to shake Contador.
Schleck set a punishing pace up the last 6 miles on the ascent of the Col du Tourmalet, but Contador shadowed him wheel-to-wheel the whole way. In the end, Schleck won the 108.1-mile trek from Pau by a half bike- length but failed in his bid to take the yellow jersey from Contador and gain time on his rival ahead of Saturday’s time trial.
“I did short accelerations really many times. It was the only possibility I had to try to drop him,” Schleck said. “But he was too strong.”
The Tourmalet was the last of three tough climbs in the stage made in cool temperatures under a drizzle and fog. Frenzied fans — including some near-streakers — ran alongside the duelists on the ascent, at least once seeming to irk Schleck. On the second climb, the Col du Soudor, a flock of sheep strayed onto the road, causing some riders to swerve, brake and stop, though no one crashed.
With only three days of racing left before Sunday’s finish in Paris, and two of the stages unlikely to alter the top of the standings, the two men knew that Thursday’s leg was crucial.
Schleck had vowed to make an all-out effort.
On the Tourmalet, he repeatedly turned around, at times speaking to Contador or trying to catch his gaze in an attempt at mind games. The Spaniard never took the bait.
“I wanted him to pass, I wanted to be behind and attack him, but of course, he’s very smart, and I knew that he only had to stay in my wheel,” Schleck said. “I think Alberto did the right thing; he’s a great professional.”
Contador did what he needed to and appeared to slow at the end, leaving Schleck to win his second stage this Tour in 5 hours, 3 minutes, 29 seconds. Contador retained his eight-second lead overall.
Seven-time champion Lance Armstrong finished 4:12 behind the leading duo in 17th place. He’s in 23rd place overall — 37:58 behind Contador.
At a glance
Thursday’s 17th stage of the Tour de France:
Stage: The 17th took the riders on a 108-mile ride from Pau to the peak of the Col du Tourmalet, a stage recognized as the highlight of this year’s race.
Winner: Andy Schleck of Luxembourg won in 5 hours, 3 minutes, 29 seconds but with his rival Alberto Contador of Spain on his shoulder. Third was Joaquin Rodriguez of Spain.
Yellow jersey: Contador holds on to his eight-second lead, and that should be enough to guarantee him the overall victory.
How Lance Armstrong did: Armstrong finished 17th, 4:12 behind Schleck.
How Garmin-Transitions did: Ryder Hesjedal finished fourth in the stage, 1:27 behind Schleck, and moved up to eighth in the overall standings. Garmin is 16th out of 22 in the team standings.
Quote of the day: “It’s a life lesson. Beyond the debate, I admire the performance of the man. It’s a great thing to see a guy who has won the Tour seven times prepared to ride 35 or 40 minutes back.” — French President Nicolas Sarkozy, on Armstrong
Next stage: The sprinters are expected to come to the fore for today’s 18th stage, a 123-mile virtually flat ride to Bordeaux.
Denver Post staff, wire services
