FRANCE: CYCLING/CYCLE RACING: Discovery Channel rider Alberto Contador is poised to win the Tour de France

Spaniard Alberto Contador was poised to win the Tour de France after holding off his rivals for the overall lead in Saturday's (July 28) time trial won by his Discovery Channel team mate Levi Leipheimer. American Leipheimer clocked the best time of one hour, two minutes and 44 seconds in the 55.5-km time trial, the 19th and penultimate stage, from Cognac at an average speed of 53.082 kph. Australian Cadel Evans of the Predictor Lotto team was second ahead of Russian Vladimir Karpets of Caisse d'Epargne. The 24-year-old Contador came fifth. "Yes, I feel a little bit more relaxed because it was a very difficult day, very strong day but it is the result of a lot of years of work I've been doing in the last years and now I'm understanding what's happening now and it's very good for me," Contador said at a news conference after the stage. Contador, who received the visit on Saturday of seven-times Tour winner and former Discovery Channel rider Lance Armstrong, is set to become the first Spaniard to win the world's greatest race since Miguel Indurain's fifth victory in 1995. Contador, like Armstrong, also suffered health problems. In 2004, the Spaniard had surgery for a large blood clot in his brain that could have ended his professional cycling career. Contador is also about to become the first mere climber to prevail on the roads of France since Italian Marco Pantani in 1998. "I'm not realising yet what is about to happen to me with this victory. Hopefully, people will talk about me for this victory and I'll try and cope with the attention," he said. He benefited from Michael Rasmussen's dismissal by his Rabobank team on Thursday for lying about his training whereabouts. The Dane held the leader's yellow jersey at the time. Pre-race favourite Alexander Vinokourov was also sent packing after testing positive for blood doping following his victory in the Albi time trial last weekend.

ITN Source | July 30, 2007

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