<p> The Spaniard, who outshone Olympic champion Fabian Cancellara by three seconds, now leads his nearest rival for final victory, Luxembourg's Andy Schleck, by four minutes and 11 seconds, a comfortable gap three days before the finish in Paris. <br /><br />Contador won in 48 minutes and 30 seconds, taking his second stage in this Tour after the mountain ride to Verbier in Switzerland last Sunday. <br /><br />Lance Armstrong made it back on the overall podium, 5:25 behind his Astana team mate, ousting Andy Schleck's brother Frank from third place. <br /><br />Yet the seven times champion was relatively disappointing in what used to be his favourite discipline, finishing 16th, 1:30 behind Contador. <br /><br />Contador's performance was all the more impressive as most of the Tour favourites, who started after Cancellara and third-placed Russian Mikhail Ignatiev, faced a headwind in the finale. <br /><br />The 2007 Tour champion, who also holds the Spanish time-trial title, confirmed he was not only the best climber in the peloton, but the best all-rounder in the race. <br /><br />Andy Schleck conceded it would be almost impossible to topple Contador, even though the Luxembourg champion, a pure climber, limited the damage to finish 21st, 1:45 off the pace. <br /><br />Although the Tour title appears out of reach, podium places will be at stake in Saturday's exciting Ventoux stage.</p>
<p> The Spaniard, who outshone Olympic champion Fabian Cancellara by three seconds, now leads his nearest rival for final victory, Luxembourg's Andy Schleck, by four minutes and 11 seconds, a comfortable gap three days before the finish in Paris. <br /><br />Contador won in 48 minutes and 30 seconds, taking his second stage in this Tour after the mountain ride to Verbier in Switzerland last Sunday. <br /><br />Lance Armstrong made it back on the overall podium, 5:25 behind his Astana team mate, ousting Andy Schleck's brother Frank from third place. <br /><br />Yet the seven times champion was relatively disappointing in what used to be his favourite discipline, finishing 16th, 1:30 behind Contador. <br /><br />Contador's performance was all the more impressive as most of the Tour favourites, who started after Cancellara and third-placed Russian Mikhail Ignatiev, faced a headwind in the finale. <br /><br />The 2007 Tour champion, who also holds the Spanish time-trial title, confirmed he was not only the best climber in the peloton, but the best all-rounder in the race. <br /><br />Andy Schleck conceded it would be almost impossible to topple Contador, even though the Luxembourg champion, a pure climber, limited the damage to finish 21st, 1:45 off the pace. <br /><br />Although the Tour title appears out of reach, podium places will be at stake in Saturday's exciting Ventoux stage.</p>
