The 94th Tour de France is coming down to the wire with three candidates – Alberto Contador, Cadel Evans and Levi Leipheimer – within striking distance of the maillot jaune.

VeloNews gauged the key players on who they thought would win and why. Here’s a sampling:

Alberto Contador (Discovery Channel), 1st
“I know that tomorrow is a day that can change your life forever. I also know that it will be the most difficult day of my life. The public was nice with me today. I felt a warm reception along the roads and it was an honor to ride in the yellow jersey today. I have to take advantage of this opportunity. I hoped one day to win the Tour de France. Tomorrow I will fight to win the race. If I don’t win, I will come back some day to achieve the victory.

Cadel Evans (Predictor-Lotto), 2nd at 1:50 back
“I don’t know if it’s possible. It won’t be easy. Contador showed he’s a strong time trialist. I will certainly try to win the Tour. Everyone has asked me the same question and I don’t have the answer.”

Levi Leipheimer (Discovery Channel), 3rd at 2:49 back
“I’m tired but I think everyone else is, too. I’ll give it everything I have, we’ll see. I hope one of us wins.”

Johan Bruyneel, sport director Discovery Channel
“Evans in the favorite. The gap of 1:53 (reduced by 3 seconds in Friday’s stage) is a good margin. Everyone is tired at the end of the Tour. Evans is more of a specialist than Alberto, but the maillot jaune will give him motivation. I think the margin will be sufficient. Evans has to take back two seconds a kilometer. If Cadel has a great day and Alberto has an off-day, maybe he can lose it. We came to this Tour hoping to win a stage with Levi Leipheimer and take the white jersey with Contador.Now we’re in position to win the Tour. It’s good for the team. We have to stay calm and do our job tomorrow. The key to a long time trial is to be constant and to maintain a good rhythm. The first references will be key. Then you can see if you have to go harder or can ease up. I see the maillot jaune as ours to lose. The final time trial of a big tour is different. The first time trial is more for the specialists. The final one, people are more tired and it’s not surprising to see the maillot jaune have a good final time trial. If both Alberto and Cadel have bad days, Levi could still win the Tour. I hope that Alberto doesn’t have a bad day.”

Henrick Redant, sport director Predictor-Lotto
“I think it’s possible, but it will be difficult. I am a realist. Contador is strong. It will be like at Albi. Cadel will gain back some time, but maybe it won’t be enough. He’s prepared well, he’ll give it his maximum. Contador will have the time checks of Cadel, but Cadel will have the references to Levi, who we cannot forget. Leipheimer is probably the best time trialist of the three. He can still win the Tour. At a certain level, once you go full-bloc, you cannot go any faster than you can go. Contador will have an experienced guy like Bruyneel behind him in the car. That will be important. The pressure is not on us. We can only win. It is Contador who could lose everything. I saw him this morning and he looked nervous. That can be a factor. Cadel is relaxed and confident.”