Contador retains overall lead at Tour; Armstrong drops to fifth; Frank Schleck wins 17th stage

July 26th, 2009 PARIS - Alberto Contador won the 2009 Tour de France Sunday, the second Tour title of his career, outsprinting Luxembourg's Andy Schleck and seven-time Tour champion Lance Armstrong. The 26-year-old Contador's margin over the 24-year-old Schleck was 4 minutes 11 seconds, the largest winning margin in several years.

July 26th, 2009 Tour finale begins, Contador cruises toward winPARIS — Overall leader Alberto Contador is cruising with the pack in a triumphant roll toward Paris in the 21st and final stage of the Tour de France. The mostly flat 101.9-mile course from Montereau-Fault-Yonne to the Champs-Elysees on Sunday is likely to end in a sprint.

July 25th, 2009 Contador all but locks up Tour de France crownMONT VENTOUX, France — Alberto Contador all but sealed his second Tour de France title Saturday, keeping the yellow jersey after a punishing mountain ride in the next to last stage. And almost certain to join him on the podium is Lance Armstrong.

July 25th, 2009 MONTELIMAR - The penultimate stage of the 2009 Tour de France got under way Saturday here, the final hurdle in Alberto Contador's quest for his second Tour championship. The hurdle is an imposing one, however, a course of 167 km ending with the 21.1 km climb up to the finish line atop Mont Ventoux.

July 25th, 2009 Contador keeps yellow jersey at TourMONT VENTOUX, France — Alberto Contador has all but locked up the Tour de France title, keeping the yellow jersey after a punishing mountain ride in the next to last stage. The final leg is Sunday, a ceremonial ride into Paris.

July 24th, 2009 Contador keeps Tour lead; Cavendish wins stageAUBENAS, France — Alberto Contador stayed in command at the Tour de France with two days of racing left while teammate Lance Armstrong remained in third place as a daunting mountain climb awaits. Mark Cavendish of Britain captured Friday's 19th stage in a sprint finish.

July 23rd, 2009 Armstrong drops to fourth; Contador still 1stLE GRAND-BORNAND, France — Lance Armstrong couldn't stay in the front during the final Alpine stage in the Tour de France, so he played faithful teammate for Alberto Contador instead. When all was said and done in Wednesday's Stage 17, the 26-year-old Spaniard further cemented his grip on the yellow jersey and Armstrong's ambitions for a podium spot were dealt a setback.

July 23rd, 2009 Contador wins time trial; Armstrong moves to 3rdANNECY, France — Alberto Contador all but assured his second Tour de France victory Thursday, winning the race's final time trial while Lance Armstrong struggled with fatigue but moved up one spot to third place. Contador, Armstrong's Astana teammate and the 2007 Tour champion, increased his overall lead in the 18th stage in which cyclists rode against the clock on the 25-mile course in and around Annecy.

July 23rd, 2009 Annecy,FRANCE - The 18th stage of the 2009 Tour de France, a crucial individual time trial, got under way Thursday in the Alpine city of Annecy when Yauheni Hutarovich of Belarus rolled down the starting ramp. The 40.5km course around the Lake of Annecy contains a 3.7km climb at an average gradient of 6 per cent and is made to order for riders such as Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland, who won the shorter time trial that opened the Tour on July 4.

July 23rd, 2009 Armstrong vies for podium in Tour's 18th stageANNECY, France — The 18th-stage time trial is under way at the Tour de France, with Lance Armstrong needing a comeback if he wants a place on the podium when the race ends Sunday in Paris. Alberto Contador has a comfortable grip on the yellow jersey, and the fourth-place Armstrong is looking to overcome brothers Andy and Frank Schleck, who bumped the Texan from second a day earlier.

July 23rd, 2009 Contador wins time trial; Armstrong in 3rd placeANNECY, France — Alberto Contador has won the final time trial in the Tour de France, and Lance Armstrong moved up a spot to third place overall. Contador now looks all but assured of his second Tour victory after increasing his overall lead in Thursday's 18th stage.

July 22nd, 2009 Contador closer to Tour win; Armstrong now 4thLE-GRAND-BORNAND, France — Alberto Contador closed in on victory at the Tour de France Wednesday after finishing second behind Frank Schleck in the 17th stage as the race left the Alps. Lance Armstrong trailed by more than 2 minutes and fell from second to fourth place overall in the 105-mile ride from Bourg-Saint-Maurice to Le Grand-Bornand — seen by many as the toughest stage this year.

July 21st, 2009 Schleck still confident he can win Tour de FranceVERBIER, Switzerland — Andy Schleck isn't ready to concede the Tour de France to Alberto Contador just yet. The 24-year-old was the only rider able to stay close to Contador in the final ascent to the Swiss ski resort of Verbier in Sunday's 15th stage.

July 21st, 2009 Contador in yellow as 16th stage of Tour startsMARTIGNY, Switzerland — Tour de France leader Alberto Contador and second-place teammate Lance Armstrong have started on the 16th stage of the race, which goes into the Swiss Alps. The pack is heading on a 98.8-mile ride from Martigny to Bourg-Saint-Maurice, France, via Italy and up the Grand-Saint-Bernard and Petit-Saint-Bernard passes.

July 15th, 2009 Cavendish wins 11th Tour stage, Armstrong in 3rdSAINT-FARGEAU, France — Mark Cavendish has won the 11th stage of the Tour de France and Lance Armstrong remains in third place overall. Cavendish sealed his second straight stage win and fourth of the Tour on Wednesday.