Tour de France 2010 – Stage 9
The sorting continues in the Alps with only 2 riders left within 2 3/4 minutes of the lead. Andy Schleck and Alberto Contador shattered the rest of the contenders on the final climb of the day. Though they did not sprint for the stage win, the two caught the breakaway within a kilometer of the finish, leaving all the other contenders spread across the mountain. Cadell Evan’s, who started the day in yellow, lost over 8 minutes, not only ending his hope for a victory, but probably ending all hope for a podium finish.
Barring a crash or other bad event, only 2 remain in contention for the overall victory. Schleck now leads Contador by 41 seconds, less than the amount of time Contador beat Schleck by in the very short prologue. So, Andy Schleck and Team Saxo Bank now need to look for opportunities to put time between Andy and Alberto Contador. Watch for Andy Sclheck and team Saxo Bank to play the cross winds before the Pyrenees if the opportunity arises. Barring that, Schleck’s next chance is to try and drop Contador in the high climbs of the Pyrenees, and hope Contador can’t close the door in the final time trial.
The other overall race will be for third, with three competitors sitting between 2 minutes 45 seconds and 4 minutes off the lead – Sanchez, Menchov and Leipheimer. Look for this race to be tight right up to the final time trial. Leipheimer, who has finished third before, is my pick for third. Leipheimer has better time trial skills than the others, and has shown the ability to go the distance through the mountains.
