Tag Archives: yellow

Contador on verge of second Tour success

Alberto Contador is on the verge of winning his second Tour de France in three years after finishing fourth to fellow-Spaniard Juan Manuel Garate in the arduous 20th and penultimate 167km stage to the top of Mont Ventoux. Contador came home alongside his rivals for overall victory as the stage turned into a tactical battle between the race leaders while the two remnants of an early 16-man breakaway group, Garate and Germany’s Tony Martin, battled it out for the glory of finishing first at the top of the ‘Giant of Provence.’ Garate eventually won his duel with Team Columbia’s Martin by three seconds, giving Rabobank their first stage victory in what has been a disappointing Tour for the Dutch team. However, the real story was developing behind them as second-placed Andy Schleck launched a series of attacks in an attempt to distance third-placed Lance Armstrong — with the aim of getting his older brother Frank, who began the stage in sixth position, onto the podium.

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Contador crushes Armstrong to take yellow

Alberto Contador destroyed his rivals in the first Alpine stage of the Tour de France, taking over the yellow jersey with an impressive victory in the 207.5km 15th stage from Pontarlier to Verbier. The 2007 Tour de France winner launched a devastating attack on the slopes of the final ascent of the day, leaving his rivals standing to finally cross the line 43 seconds ahead of Luxembourg’s Andy Schleck, with Italian Vincenzo Nibali third another 20 seconds behind.

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Spectator killed in cycling’s Tour de France

The death of a spectator overshadowed an intriguing 14th stage of the Tour de France which saw Rinaldo Nocentini desperately cling on to the leader’s yellow jersey in cycling’s premier event. A woman died after being hit by a police motorcycle on Saturday afternoon in Wittelsheim, a village in Alsace in northeastern France which is 40 kilometers from the start of the race’s leg from Colmar to Besancon. French police told CNN that two other people were injured and taken to hospital

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Voeckler wins as Armstrong stays second

Thomas Voeckler won the fifth stage of the Tour de France as Lance Armstrong remained in second place in the overall standings behind Switzerland’s Fabian Cancellara. It was a hugely popular victory for one of the heroes of French cycling, who had been part of a six-man breakaway group for much of the 196.5 km stage from Cap d’Agde to Perpignan. The 30-year-old Bouygues Telecom rider achieved cult status when he held the yellow jersey for ten days in the 2004 Tour de France and used his experience to good effect in the closing moments on Wednesday

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Armstrong just fails to take yellow jersey

Lance Armstrong has failed by under a second to take the yellow jersey in the Tour de France, after the American’s Astana team powered to victory in the 39km fourth stage team time-trial around Montpellier. Seven-times winner Armstrong began the day 40 seconds behind race leader Fabian Cancellara in third position on general classification — and his Astana team duly beat Cancellara’s Saxon Bank team by that very margin, with the Garmin team splitting them in second position. The result means Swiss Cancellara keeps hold of the race lead by the slenderest of margins, with 2007 champion and Armstrong’s team-mate Alberto Contador in third place, 19 seconds behind the leading two.

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Armstrong 10th in opening stage of Tour

Lance Armstrong returned to the Tour de France for first time in four years by finishing 10th in the opening time trial in Monaco which was won by Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland. Cancellara, renowned for his awesome performances against the clock, clocked 19 minutes 32.14 seconds for the 15.5 kilometer course in the Mediterranean principality

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