LE MONETIER-LES-BAINS, France — Andy Schleck has finally gotten the edge against Alberto Contador.
After two second-place Tour de France finishes behind the Spanish champion, Schleck all but quashed Contador’s hopes for a three-peat with a bold, long-distance breakaway win Thursday in stage 18 in the Alps.
The 26-year-old rider from Luxembourg handled the main pack midway along the second of three huge climbs, with 30 miles left in the 125-mile ride from Pinerolo, Italy, to Galibier Serre-Chevalier in France.
By the finish atop the ski station — the highest-altitude finish in the Tour’s 108-year history — Schleck had beaten the favorites by more than two minutes, come 15 seconds within Frenchman Thomas Voeckler’s grasp on the yellow jersey, and left Cadel Evans of Australia clinging to his title bid.
“I limited the damage,” Voeckler said. “I went all out.”
The biggest casualty was Contador, who, with an aching right knee from a crash earlier in the three-week race, straggled up to the finish — his hopes of a fourth title in tatters.
“Victory is impossible now,” said Contador, who had dropped back to the race doctor for an anti-inflammatory just as Schleck prepared his move. “I had a bad day. My legs didn’t respond and I just hit a wall.”
The two riders, once friends who vacationed together, had animosity during last year’s Tour when some say Contador breached etiquette by speeding ahead when Schleck had a chain malfunction — a move that turned out to make the difference in the outcome.
“I told the team (Wednesday) that I had this in mind. I wasn’t going to be fourth in Paris,” Schleck said. “I said I’d risk it all. . . . It’s my character. I’m not afraid to lose.”
Stage 18
A brief look at Thursday’s Tour de France:
Stage: Presented as the hardest stage this year, the 125-mile route from Pinerolo, Italy, to the top of the Col du Galibier lived up to its billing. The stage covered three “beyond category” climbs, the sport’s hardest, finishing on top the 8,700-foot Col du Galibier, the highest stage finish in Tour de France history.
Yellow jersey: France’s Thomas Voeckler remains in yellow. He dug deep on the final climb to hang on to the yellow jersey, but his lead shrank to 15 seconds over Andy Schleck.
Where’s Alberto Contador? Contador could not keep up with the leaders on the Galibier climb, and he dropped back to seventh overall, 4:44 behind Voeckler.
Garmin-Cervelo: Tom Danielson finished ninth in the stage and remains ninth overall (7:08 back).
Quote of the day: “Victory is now impossible.” Alberto Contador.
Today: The 68-mile stage takes riders back over the Galibier pass and finishes on the famed Alpe d’Huez, an 8 1/2-mile series of 21 switchbacks.
