Throw in the two rest days, and Alberto Contador's winning margin at the 2007 Tour de France is destined to equal one tick of the watch per day. Those 23 seconds will represent the second smallest final time difference in the race's 94 renditions, trailing only Greg LeMond's eight-second triumph over Laurent Fignon in 1989.

This year's near-record breaker came to pass during a breathtaking stage-19 time trial that left the outcome in doubt until the final kilometer, when Contador narrowly held off stiff challenges from Cadel Evans and Levi Leipheimer to maintain his slim overall lead.

Though he lost most of the 1:50 advantage he started the day with, the 24-year-old Spaniard now heads to Paris Sunday for a date with the top step of the final podium on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées.
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"I am only beginning to realize what is happening, and it's great for me," said Contador, who took over the race lead on Thursday following Michael Rasmussen's disgraceful eviction from the Tour by his Rabobank team.

Leipheimer wins his first Tour stage and secures his place on the podium

Photo: Graham Watson

"There was a moment with 30km to go that I was worried because my legs were feeling a little heavy. Then they told me that the reference time was 30 seconds with 4km to go and I gave everything to hold on."

Contador got an added boost of motivation from Discovery Channel team co-owner and seven-time Tour champ Lance Armstrong, who rode shotgun in the team car.

"He never told me anything concrete," said Contador. "But just being here helped."

Meanwhile, the 33-year-old Leipheimer (Discovery Channel) grabbed the first Tour stage victory of his career, ripping around the 55.5km TT course from Cognac to Angouleme, averaging a blistering 53.1kph and stopping the clock in 1:02:44. That was 51 seconds better than runner-up Evans (Predictor-Lotto), who entered the final day just eight seconds ahead of the American in the chase for second place.

"This is something I've always dreamt of," said Leipheimer, adding he didn't plan on chasing the Aussie further on the Tour's final day. "I think after today I really deserve a place on the final podium ... Alberto is going to win the Tour and I'm in third. Cadel doesn't have to worry. We're going to enjoy the day. Today I had the best legs of my life."

Evans, too, figured the final podium was set despite the small time gaps.

"Theoretically it's possible, but let's digest today's stage first," said Evans, who is set to become the first Australian to make the Tour's top three. "I'm not too disappointed. All along my aim was to do better than last year, when I came fifth. This year I'm second, but of course when you're so close to winning. . . . I could be disappointed, but what's it going to change?"

Karpets slots into third

Photo: Graham Watson

Russian Vladimir Karpets (Caisse d'Epargne) was third on the stage, 1:56 behind Leipheimer, whose team placed an eyebrow-raising four riders in the top seven. Ukrainian Yaroslav Popovych was fourth, at 2:01, Contador ended up fifth, at 2:18, and American George Hincapie slotted into seventh at 2:33.

The penultimate day of racing commenced beneath overcast skies at 11:20 a.m. Light rain fell off and on throughout the morning, but the precipitation was not a major factor, as it was in the Tour's first TT at Albi, when crashes were commonplace.

Predictor-Lotto's Wim Vansevenant was first man out of the start house. The Belgian has been a fixture at the bottom of the overall standings, and entered the day 3:45:01 down on Contador - and 5-plus minutes behind his closest competitor for lanterne rouge honors.

Vansevenant's 134th-place TT effort didn't change that. Instead, it was teammate Leif Hoste who set the early fast time, posting best marks at all three checkpoints. Hoste, the reigning Belgian national time-trial champion, was instructed to ride all out, then relay information back to Evans, who earlier in day did his own reconnaissance.

"It's windy now but it's hard to tell if it's going to get stronger," said Evans in the morning. "I think it should be pretty steady all day, or that's what I hope, anyway. The last section is difficult and the final climb is taxing on the legs."

CSC's double 2007 Tour stage winner Fabian Cancellara was the first rider to threaten Hoste's place in the hot seat. But after slicing five seconds off the Belgian's mark at the first time check at 17km in Sigogne, the reigning world time-trial champion faded in the second half, ceding seven seconds to Hoste at the finish.

Scotland's David Millar was also expected to challenge for the stage win, but the Saunier Duval-Prodir team leader had a rear-wheel mechanical just 20 feet out of the start house, received a clumsy bike change, and then needed a second bike change minutes later. When Millar finally reached the finish more than an hour later, he was five-plus minutes back of Hoste.

Back at the start in Cognac, ASO president Patrice Clerc and Tour race director Christian Prudhomme were conducting what has become their morning-ritual press conference. The pair continued to express displeasure with cycling's international governing body, which they felt compromised their race. They also unveiled a plan they hope will avoid a repeat of this year's scandal-scarred race, which has been marred by two positive doping tests, and the ejection of then-race-leader Rasmussen.

Contador cranks out the ride of his life for fifth — and first in Paris

Photo: Graham Watson

The Rabobank rider missed four out-of-competition tests in the last 18 months, and was accused by his team of lying about his whereabouts on the lead-up to the race. But neither infraction came to light until after he'd been in the yellow jersey for eight days. Rasmussen's withdrawal bestowed the yellow jersey upon Contador, but the damage was already done.

"The UCI has demonstrated that, in the best case, it is incompetent and, in the worst case, it will harm the Tour de France," said Clerc, angered that his organization was not made aware of Rasmussen's missed tests before the race began. "The result is calculated, Machiavellian and irresponsible.

"We will host a meeting this coming October at the time of the presentation of the 2008 Tour de France, when we will detail the result of the work which will be undertaken. Our plan is to create an ethical passport, which will be an essential precondition to be able to take part in our races. We do not want to exonerate ourselves from cycling's governing body but we want the controlling power to be virtuous, responsible and independent."

Back out on the course, Thomas Dekker narrowly missed taking down Hoste, crossing the line just seven seconds in arrears. The Dutchman is one of six Rabobank riders still in the race.

Hincapie took his own swing at the Belgian, trimming 12 seconds off Hoste's finishing time to take over the lead momentarily.

Finally it was time for the big three. Following a final bike check and wheel wipe from Discovery team mechanic Craig Geater, Leipheimer pulled his skinsuit tight, then rolled down the ramp and past the now-infamous superfan Didi Senft, a.k.a. "The Devil."

Up ahead at the finish, Spanish time-trial champion Jose Ivan Gutierrez (Caisse d'Epargne) took six seconds off Hincapie's mark. But by then all eyes were on the three GC contenders who were now streaming toward the first time check in Sigogne at 17.5km.

. . . clipping a dozen seconds off Hoste's then-best time

Photo: Graham Watson

Leipheimer was first through, posting a day's best 19:36. That bought quick praise from assistant team director Dirk Demol, who was following in the team car. "I don't know if you are going to believe this but you are already 1:20 ahead of [Hincapie.]" barked Demol into the team radio. "If you can keep this speed no one can beat you, no one can come around you."

Behind the American, Evans was slicing into Contador's margin. The Aussie was 14 seconds back of Leipheimer at Sigogne, but 22 seconds ahead of Contador.

Leipheimer continued his assault on the road to Angouleme, stopping the clock at 39:45 at the second check, 35km at Saint-Genis-d'Hiersac. That was 1:13 better than the previous best mark set by Karpets, who had taken over the top spot from Gutierrez.

Minutes later, Evans crossed the 35km line in 40:19, 35 seconds back of Leipheimer, with Contador trailing through at 1:13. Suddenly the order of the top three was in serious doubt.

On the run to the finish, Leipheimer kept the pressure on, storming past three-minute man Carlos Sastre (CSC), then rising out of his saddle and digging hard all the way to the line before being mobbed by the press.

While Leipheimer explained his best-ever TT effort, Evans was fighting hard both to save his second place on GC and challenge Contador for yellow. The Aussie barely managed the former, crossing the line with only eight seconds of the 59-second margin he'd entered the day with.

Now all that remained was Contador. The 24-year-old Spaniard had been losing time steadily throughout the day, but managed to limit his losses at the end, crossing the line in fifth place on the stage, but still tops in the overall.

"There was so much tension. It was a day with a lot of stress," admitted the soon-to-be Tour champion. "It was years of hard work. Now I am aware of what I have achieved."

But while that achievement may be clear to some, there are still plenty of skeptics. Before coming to Discovery Channel, he was among the nine riders barred from the start of last year’s Tour when his name came up in connection with the Operación Puerto doping scandal.

“I was named only because the team I was on last year was Liberty Seguros,” Contador claimed. “It is a consequence of being on the wrong team at the wrong time . . . The UCI noted a week after that [my name being included] was an error.”

Asked if would undergo DNA testing to clear his name once and for all, Contador grudgingly agreed.

“I don’t think it would be the most correct thing to do, but if I have to do it, I will,” he said. “I don’t have to demonstrate innocence to anyone. I am innocent. What do I do, take some blood and give it to you?”

After the roller-coaster ride that has been the 2007, many would argue that is the only way.

Next up
On Sunday the 94th Tour completes the final leg of its 3547km journey to Paris with stage 20's 146km ride from Marcoussis to Paris. Start time is 1:40 p.m. local (7:40 a.m. U.S. EST).

Each of the previous 93 Tours has finished in the Paris area: at Ville d'Avray in the suburbs in 1903; at the now-defunct Parc des Princes Velodrome (1904-67); the Municipal Velodrome at Vincennes (1968-74); and, since 1975, on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées.

This year, racing starts with a 90km loop through the southern suburbs of the French capital. Then the peloton will head into the City of Light for eight laps of the traditional finishing circuit around the Champs-Élysées. There are two intermediate sprint spots - including one in Châtenay-Malabry, home of the renowned French anti-doping lab.

The Tour's finale has ended in a bunch sprint 17 times in the last 20 years, the few exceptions coming in 2006, when Alexander Vinokourov broke clear with Brad McGee in the final kilometer; in 1994, when a small break succeeded and Frenchman Eddy Seigneur took the win by three seconds from American Frankie Andreu; and in 1987, when another American, Jeff Pierce, brought home a breakaway group to win by a second ahead of Canadian Steve Bauer.

With the 2007 green jersey still in play, don't expect a repeat this year. Instead look for Belgian Tom Boonen (Quick Step-Innergetic) and Robbie Hunter (Barloworld), who enter the last day separated by 24 points, to wage one final battle. It's unlikely Hunter can overcome the deficit, but the South African would love to grab his second Tour stage win.

Stage 19
1. Levi Leipheimer (USA) Discovery Channel, 1:02:44
2. Cadel Evans (Aus), Predictor-Lotto, at 0:51
3. Vladimir Karpets (Rus), Caisse d'Epargne, at 0:56
4. Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr), Discovery Channel, at 2:01
5. Alberto Contador (Sp), Discovery Channel, at 2:18

Overall
1. Alberto Contador (Sp), Discovery Channel, 87:09:18
2. Cadel Evans (Aus), Predictor-Lotto, at 0:23
3. Levi Leipheimer (USA), Discovery Channel, at 0:31
4. Carlos Sastre (Sp) CSC, at 7:08
5. Haimar Zubeldia (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, 8:17

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