Alberto Contador Wins 2010 Tour de France
Alberto Contador has won his 3rd Tour de France title in just 4 years. He was only 8 seconds ahead of second place Andy Schleck before the stage Saturday, but then Schleck fell behind to give Contador a 39 second lead. The Spaniard now joins American Greg LeMond, Belgian Philippe Thys and Frenchman Louison Bobet in winning the most prestigious cycling race in the world 3 times. There are only 5 cyclists that have won it more.
Contador said that the Tour put a lot of pressure on him, particularly physically, because he wasn’t at his best. He had to be very confident to face hard situations, so the end of the race was a great relief for him, he continued, as it feels like he’s been liberated from the pressure.
Contador also explained that each of his 3 Tour wins are different. The first was something special, as it was the first, while last year’s tour was difficult, as the context was difficult, he continued. This year he had hard moments, but was able to count on a strong team, he explained. He realizes that he gains experience every year, he continued, and he knows how to manage a team better throughout the race. He is happy to enjoy this win and will take a good vacation, he added.
Schleck definitely kept Contador on his toes. Finishing only 39 seconds behind is the 5th smallest margin between a winner and runner-up in the Tour’s history. He said that coming in second this year is totally different than last year, when he placed second 4′11” behind. He almost had the yellow jersey and will be back to win it, he added.
Though this was a good Tour for these two cyclist, 7-time winner Lance Armstrong didn’t fair so well. He really had some bad luck - being involved in crashes, having technical issues and other things - that all added up to placing just 23rd in the Tour this year, which was his last. He said last week, after already ruling out a Tour victory, that he is planning to have a very quiet life now. Here is a better look at the final top 10 cyclists overall:
- Alberto Contador 91h58′48”
- Andy Schleck +39”
- Denis Menchov +2′01”
- Samuel Sanchez +3′40”
- Jurgen Van Den Boreck +6′54”
- Robert Gesink +9′31”
- Ryder Hesjedal +10′15”
- Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver +11′37”
- Roman Kreuziger +11′54”
- Christopher Horner +12′02”