Contador Wins The Tour de France 2010

Due to a little post surgery set back, I missed one stage, caught just the finish on tape of another and decided after the Time Trial to wait till the end of the Tour for my last post on the race.
That worked out pretty well because there were no major, or for that matter even minor surprises during the last four stages.
Stage 16 saw Lance Armstrong go in the break and hold on with eight others to finish more than six minutes ahead of the peloton.  Lance had noted in recent interviews that he would be going for at least one stage win, but age has caught up and his sprint at the line came up short of a stage victory.
In stage 17, one of the most thrilling battles in Tour history between what is possibly the best two cyclist in the world took place on the climb to the mountain top finish on the col du Tourmalet.  Alberto Contador only had to stay on the wheels of Andy Shleck to maintain his lead in the race and that he did.  Schleck was unable to lose Contador with his attacks and Contador's only attack on Schleck was also fruitless.  Both crossed the finish at the same time with Schleck taking the stage victory.
Stage 18 was for the sprinters and who else but Mark Cavendish showed again that he is the fastest sprinter in cycling.  Alessandro Petacchi was able to finish high enough to reclaim the Green Jersey, but he would still have to finish in the top three on the Champs Elysee's in stage 20 to clinch the jersey.
The changing winds during the Individual Time Trial may have effected the final standings of the stage, but did not really affect the final results of the Tour.  There was a change on the podium as Denis Menchov was able to out dual Samuel Sanchez for the third position.   The only jersey not yet decided by the Time Trial was the green sprinters points jersey.  That was decided in Paris on the final day of the Tour.  Again won easily by Cavendish with Petacchi finishing second.  The second place finish clinched the Green Jersey for Petacchi.

Photo credit © Roberto Bettini

Final Standings for the Tour De France 2010:

General Classification (Yellow Jersey) overall winner

1 Alberto Contador (ESP) Astana 91:58:48 2 Andy Schleck (LUX) Team Saxo Bank 0:00:39 3 Denis Menchov (RUS) Rabobank 0:02:01 4 Samuel Sánchez (ESP) Euskaltel - Euskadi 0:03:40 5 Jurgen Van Den Broeck (BEL) Omega Pharma-Lotto 0:06:54 6 Robert Gesink (NED) Rabobank 0:09:31 7 Ryder Hesjedal (CAN) Garmin - Transitions 0:10:15 8 Joaquin Rodriguez (ESP) Team Katusha 0:11:37 9 Roman Kreuziger (CZE) Liquigas-Doimo 0:11:54 10 Christopher Horner (USA) Team Radioshack 0:12:02 11 Luis León Sánchez (ESP) Caisse d'Epargne 0:14:21 12 Ruben Plaza Molina (ESP) Caisse d'Epargne 0:14:29 13 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Team Radioshack 0:14:40 14 Andreas Klöden (GER) Team Radioshack 0:16:36 15 Nicolas Roche (IRL) AG2R La Mondiale 0:16:59 16 Alexander Vinokourov (KAZ) Astana 0:17:46 17 Thomas Löfkvist (SUI) Sky Professional Cycling Team 0:20:46 18 Kevin De Weert (BEL) Quick Step 0:21:54 19 John Gadret (FRA) AG2R La Mondiale 0:24:04 20 Carlos Sastre (ESP) Cervelo Test Team 0:26:37
Point Standings (Green Jersey) sprinters
1 Alessandro Petacchi (ITA) Lampre-Farnese Vini 243 pts 2 Mark Cavendish (GBR) Team HTC - Columbia 232 3 Thor Hushovd (NOR) Cervelo Test Team 222 4 Jose Joaquin Rojas (ESP) Caisse d'Epargne 179 5 Robbie McEwen (AUS) Team Katusha 179 6 Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) Sky Professional Cycling Team 161 7 Sébastien Turgot (FRA) Bbox Bouygues Telecom 135 8 Gerald Ciolek (GER) Team Milram 126 9 Jurgen Roelandts (BEL) Omega Pharma-Lotto 124 10 Lloyd Mondory (FRA) AG2R La Mondiale 119 11 Alberto Contador (ESP) Astana 115 12 Samuel Sánchez  (ESP) Euskaltel - Euskadi 112 13 Andy Schleck (LUX) Team Saxo Bank 107 14 Julian Dean (NZL) Garmin - Transitions 104 15 Denis Menchov (RUS) Rabobank 81 16 Oscar Freire (ESP) Rabobank 81 17 Daniel Oss (ITA) Liquigas-Doimo 80 18 Alexander Vinokourov (KAZ) Astana 78 19 Ruben Perez Moreno (ESP) Euskaltel - Euskadi 78 20 Nicolas Roche (IRL) AG2R La Mondiale 77
Mountain Classification (Polka Dot Jersey) climber
1 Anthony Charteau (FRA) Bbox Bouygues Telecom 143 pts 2 Christophe Moreau (FRA) Caisse d'Epargne 128 3 Andy Schleck (LUX) Team Saxo Bank 116 4 Alberto Contador (ESP) Astana 112 5 Damiano Cunego (ITA) Lampre-Farnese Vini 99 6 Samuel Sánchez (ESP) Euskaltel - Euskadi 96 7 Sandy Casar (FRA) Française des Jeux 93 8 Jérôme Pineau (FRA) Quick Step 92 9 Thomas Voeckler (FRA) Bbox Bouygues Telecom 82 10 Pierrick Fedrigo (FRA) Bbox Bouygues Telecom 72 11 Joaquin Rodriguez (ESP) Team Katusha 66 12 Mario Aerts (BEL) Omega Pharma-Lotto 65 13 Robert Gesink (NED) Rabobank 62 14 Christophe Riblon (FRA) AG2R La Mondiale 60 15 Denis Menchov (RUS) Rabobank 58 16 Jurgen Van Den Broeck (BEL) Omega Pharma-Lotto 54 17 Christopher Horner (USA) Team Radioshack 53 18 Ryder Hesjedal (CAN) Garmin - Transitions 50 19 Roman Kreuziger (CZE) Liquigas-Doimo 50 20 Luis León Sánchez Gil (ESP) Caisse d'Epargne 48
Young Rider (White Jersey) under 25 yrs age
1 Andy Schleck (LUX) Team Saxo Bank 91:59:27 2 Robert Gesink (NED) Rabobank 0:08:52 3 Roman Kreuziger (CZE) Liquigas-Doimo 0:11:15 4 Julien El Farès (FRA) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne 0:52:43 5 Cyril Gautier (FRA) Bbox Bouygues Telecom 1:24:33 6 Jakob Fuglsang (DEN) Team Saxo Bank 1:37:53 7 Rafael Valls (ESP) Footon-Servetto 1:41:48 8 Pierre Rolland (FRA) Bbox Bouygues Telecom 1:46:03 9 Geraint Thomas (GBR) Sky Professional Cycling Team 1:59:26 10 Jose Joaquin Rojas (ESP) Caisse d'Epargne 2:01:19 11 Francis De Greef (BEL) Omega Pharma-Lotto 2:11:43 12 Rui Alberto Faria da Costa (POR) Caisse d'Epargne 2:11:49 13 Rémy Di Grégorio (FRA) Française des Jeux 2:20:55 14 Arkaitz Duran Daroca (ESP) Footon-Servetto 2:29:10 15 Eros Capecchi (ITA) Footon-Servetto 2:33:59 16 Johannes Fröhlinger (GER) Team Milram 2:48:44 17 Kristjan Koren (SLO) Liquigas-Doimo 2:56:32 18 Maxime Bouet (FRA) AG2R La Mondiale 3:07:01 19 Alexandr Pliuschin (MDA) Team Katusha 3:08:26 20 Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR) Sky Professional Cycling Team 3:14:18
Teams classification
1 Team Radioshack 276:02:03 2 Caisse d'Epargne 0:09:15 3 Rabobank 0:27:49 4 Ag2R La Mondiale 0:41:10 5 Omega Pharma - Lotto 0:51:01 6 Astana 0:56:16 7 Quick Step 1:06:23 8 Euskaltel - Euskadi 1:23:02 9 Liquigas-Doimo 1:29:14 10 Bbox Bouygues Telecom 1:54:18 11 Sky Professional Cycling Team 2:05:28 12 Team Saxo Bank 2:25:02 13 Cofidis Le Credit En Ligne 2:29:35 14 BMC Racing Team 2:35:30 15 Française des Jeux 2:58:59 16 Garmin - Transitions 3:18:07 17 Team HTC - Columbia 3:25:26 18 Team Katusha 3:28:05 19 Cervelo Test Team 3:51:56 20 Footon-Servetto 5:15:36 21 Lampre - Farnese Vini 5:50:02 22 Team Milram 6:05:41