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It is obvious that either Alberto Contador, currently first overall or Andy Schleck, currently second overall, could have battled for the stage win at the top of Mont Ventoux and closed the 38 second gap to stage winner Juan Manuel Garate. Instead, both leaders chose to be great teammates and lead their team’s battle for podium places in Paris

Alberto Contador ended all questions today about who is the best rider in the tour, and who is the leader of Astana. 7 time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong climbed to third place today while losing 1 minute and 30 seconds and finishing 16th on the stage to time trial and apparent Tour de France winner Alberto Contador.

With 17 stages complete, the 2009 Tour de France podium is still up for grabs. There are 2 major stages left to determine the Yellow Jersey, and 2 contenders (Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck).

In a tour that has been defined by the hundredth of a second, Alberto Contador took the overall lead by 1:37 over his teammate Lance Armstrong in Stage 15 of the 2009 Tour de France. In the first stage to finish on a mountaintop since Stage 7, Contador showed why he is called the best climber on the professional tour.

Expect to see team Astana set a blistering pace to destroy the other teams and climbers. The Schleck brothers will try to repeat their feats from 2008, but team Astana will prove too much. If Lance at age 37 can keep up with Contador, the yellow jersey will be his, but that will be no easy task.

Stage 2 played out exactly as one would expect. The peleton chased down a non threatening breakaway, ending in a typical sprinters dual, with Cavendish beating all and Tyler Farrar best of the rest. Hushovd coming in a respectful 4th.
Stage 3 showed the value of experience. Only Cavendish and Hushovd made the break when team [...]