Contador claims the mantle as next big Spanish hope

Photo: Graham Watson

The future is now for Alberto Contador after the Spanish climber pulled the double at Paris-Nice on Sunday to win the final stage and claim the overall prize that positions him as Spain’s next great hope.

The 24-year-old Discovery Channel rider uncorked a searing attack on the Cat. 1 Col d’Eze to gap overnight leader Davide Rebellin and drove home a stirring victory on Nice’s Promenade des Anglais to turn a six-second deficit into a 26-second winning margin.

“This is my biggest win of my career,” Contador said. “I came here with the idea of winning and, even though it took a while, I’m very happy to have been able to win.”

Contador was haunted by the 17 seconds he forfeited Tuesday when the peloton split on the tricky finish into Limoges in stage two. Contador won Thursday’s summit finish to Mende, but the cagey Rebellin – who did finish safely with the front group at Limoges - snuck into the yellow jersey by six seconds.

“We made a big mistake there,” said Discovery sport director Dirk Demol. “I was really angry with the boys. I told them those seconds could prove very expensive.”

Contador’s raid into Cannes yesterday failed to dislodge Rebellin, but Discovery Channel was determined to shake the Italian in Sunday’s four-climb, 129.5km finale over the narrow mountain roads above the Cote d’Azur.

Rebellin could only count on three inexperienced teammates while Discovery Channel clearly had superior firepower.

Discovery demonstrated its intentions when it put its six riders at the front over the day’s main hurdle at the Cat. 1 Col de la Porte in the opening 60km. Tom Danielson, Levi Leipheimer and Yaroslav Popovych later took damaging pulls on Col d’Eze before Contador attacked.

“We wanted to ride today like we held the leader’s jersey,” said Discovery’s Leipheimer. “We wanted to put the team on the front and kind of intimidate everyone. That can really make a difference.”

Rebellin was finding allies in the peloton all week to help him hold his slender lead, but in the mano-a-mano battle on Col d’Eze, it was every man for himself as the acceleration whittled the lead group down to the 10 strongest riders.

Contador gapped Rebellin by 37 seconds over the Eze summit. Rebellin showed signs of life after trimming that difference to 17 seconds with two kilometers to go, but this time he wasn’t getting any help on the chase. Only Team CSC’s Frank Schleck took pulls for Rebellin in the final kilometers to the finish.

Rebellin had a feeling this was gonna happen

Photo: Graham Watson

Contador soared across the line, celebrating his double, while Rebellin – who finished second to Jorg Jaksche in 2004 — had already resigned himself to his fate.

“I knew starting today it would be hard to win and I was ready to accept that I might lose. Contador showed again today he’s the strongest on the climbs,” Rebellin said. “I couldn’t do anything to follow him up the final climb. Their entire team was very strong.”

Contador’s success gives Discovery Channel its second big win of the season following Leipheimer’s Tour of California victory.

Discovery Channel eagerly picked up Contador following the collapse of Liberty Seguros last year in the wake of the Operación Puerto investigation. Contador was later cleared of any connection to the alleged blood-doping ring to pave the way for his arrival at the American team.

Contador is already being hailed as Spain’s next great stage-race contender, but he nearly died in 2004 when he suffered a cerebral aneurysm that caused him to crash during the Vuelta a Asturias in Spain. Quick action from a race doctor kept him from choking on his own tongue and an emergency surgery left him with 60 stitches in his head.

A natural-born climber, Contador returned to the winner’s circle with a stage at the 2005 Tour Down Under. Last year, he won stages at the Tour of Romandie and the Tour du Suisse.

He won a stage ahead of Spain’s reigning star, Alejandro Valverde, in last month’s Vuelta a Valencia in Spain, but a spill earlier in the week cheated him of overall victory.

Paulinho in the escape

Photo: Graham Watson

No hard feelings
Sunday’s finale wasn’t going to be one of those ceremonial parades. The 129.5km seventh and final stage started and finished in sunny Nice. With four rated climbs, capped by the spectacular Cat. 1 climb up Col d’Eze towering above the sparkling Mediterranean Coast, the stage was set for an explosive finale.

With a baker’s dozen still within a minute of Rebellin’s lead, fans could count on some aggressive racing. Before the hostilities began, however, it was time for some reunions ahead of the start along Nice’s Promenade des Anglais. Several riders who live along the Cote d’Azur enjoyed some family time. Team CSC’s Bobby Julich and T-Mobile’s Michael Barry were seen snuggling loved ones before the start.

Also spotted hugging were Contador and Luis León Sánchez (Caisse d’Epargne). The buddies found themselves as adversaries at the end of Saturday’s stage. León Sánchez attacked Contador with about 4km to go to win the stage and vault from 16th to third overall.

There were no hard feelings as the pair discussed the previous day’s action.

“Alberto understands that I had to ride for my team’s interest (Saturday),” León Sánchez told VeloNews. “Maybe we could have collaborated if I was a minute or more behind in the GC, but I was less than one minute and I still had my options for the podium. We’re still friends, but during the race, it’s like that.”

Contador attacks

Photo: Graham Watson

Rebellin, meanwhile, knew that he would be under fire all day long. He could only count on three friendly teammates (Bernhard Kohl, Matthias Russ and Thomas Fothen) after four team members abandoned in Saturday’s heavy fire.

“We have a young team and we’re paying for it now,” Gerolsteiner sport director Udo Bolts told VeloNews. “It was just too hard for those young guys yesterday. When Contador attacked, Rebellin was at the limit and he couldn’t follow. We’ve been finding some help from other teams like CSC, Lampre, Predictor-Lotto – that’s really helped us a lot.”

Voeckler on the march
With so much on the line, it didn’t take long for the day’s main breakaway to form.

All the major teams were keen to have their jerseys represented. Among the riders in the first break were: Francisco Perez Sanchez (Caisse d’Epargne), Sandy Casar (FDJ), Sylvain Chavanel (Cofidis), Thomas Voeckler (Bouygues Telecom), Roman Kreuzinger (Liquigas), Andy Schleck (CSC), Dmitry Fofonov (Credit Agricole) and Sergio Paulinho (Discovery Channel). Also bridging out were Stijn Devolder (Discovery Channel), Gorka Verdugo (Euskaltel) and Patxi Vila (Lampre), who finished second last year to Floyd Landis.

Chavanel popped out to win the day’s first sprint at 15.5km and the time bonuses popped him ahead of compatriot Jerome Pineau into the top 10. Voeckler – who started the day in the best climber’s jersey – was keen to consolidate his hold on the polka-dot tunic and charged over the Cat. 2 Cote de Duranus (2.4km at 6.4 percent) at 25.5km and then led the way up the day’s main hurdle at the Cat. 1 Col de la Porte (7.2km at 7.2 percent) at 52km.

Discovery Channel didn’t like the look of the big group’s gap of nearly one minute and sent Yaroslav Popovych, Levi Leipheimer and Tom Danielson to the front. The breakaway was reeled in on the upper flanks of Porte while Voekler – who started the stage at 33rd at 6:08 back - was kept within range off the front with Danielson was second and Leipheimer third for the mountain points.

Sanchez chases

Photo: Graham Watson

Voeckler – who’s best remembered for his heroic defense of the yellow jersey in the 2005 Tour de France – buried himself to widen his gap to 1:45 coming to the base of the day’s third climb at the La Turbie (7.6km at 4.8 percent).

Discovery Channel proved too much and drilled it up the Turbie to reel in Voeckler and force Rebellin’s remaining teammates off the back. Danielson and Leipheimer set the pace over the top with Rebellin in damage control.

Four riders – Francisco Perez Sanchez (Caisse d’Epargne), Alexandre Botcharov (Credit Agricole), Marcus Burghardt (T-Mobile) and Maxime Monfort (Cofidis) – peeled off the front on the backside of Turbie to hold a 37-second margin with 33km to go.

Four Disco jerseys still protected Contador’s flank (Danielson, Leipheimer, Popovych and Devolder) as the bunch broiled toward the Col d’Eze finale.

Fireworks up Col d’Eze
The towering Col d’Eze (7.8km at 6.1 percent) is one of cycling’s most glamorous climbs. The steep road winds out of Nice to tower above the Cote d’Azur with spectacular views of Cap Ferrat and Monte Carlo below.

The final podium

Photo: Graham Watson

The leading quartet swing through the base of the climb nursing a 34-second lead on the main bunch, but against the Discovery Channel train, no one expected that to last very long. Danielson once again buried himself for the team to set a brutal pace on the lower flanks.

Several big names such as prologue winner David Millar (Saunier Duval) couldn’t match the pace as the lead bunch quickly fractured. Danielson and Leipheimer pulled off and Popovych took a pull before Contador accelerated away.

Riding in the big ring, Contador exploded the main pack and quickly left Rebellin gapsing in a chase group that included Evans, Schleck, Valjavec and Pellizotti. Giving chase were David Garcia Lopez (Caisse d’Epargne) and Valjavec with Rebellin trying to limit the bleeding.

“Contador is one of the most explosive climbers in the peloton,” said Demol. “He can quickly open a gap and he's strong enough to hold it.”

There was some counter-attacking, but no one could follow the Spanish climber, who held a 40-second gap over the summit. Rebellin chased hard on the descent and clawed within 17 seconds with 2km to go, but fate was turning Contador’s way.

He held on to win the stage by 19 seconds and become the first Spanish rider since Miguel Indurain to win in one of the most exciting finishes in recent memory.

Final jerseys
Winner – Alberto Contador (Discovery Channel); points – Franco Pellizotti (Liquigas); climber – Thomas Voeckler (Bouygues Telecom); best young – Contador; best team – Caisse d’Epargne

Americans
23. Bobby Julich (CSC), +3:41; 24. Chris Horner (Predictor-Lotto), +4:02; 26. Levi Leipheimer (Discovery Channel), +5:52; 39. Tom Danielson (Discovery Channel), +14:22

Medical report
Iban Mayo (Saunier Duval), crash at 1.5km, cuts and scrapes, stitches in left elbow; Gerbin Lowik (Rabobank), crash at 1.5km, cuts and scrapes

Peloton
Forty-seven riders did not finish or abandoned; leaving 81 official finishers. Christian Vande Velde, Dave Zabriskie (both CSC) were among the abandons.

[Watch Paris-Nice Video Highlight]

Click here to open our Live Update Window.Paris-Nice — final stage
1. Alberto Contador (Sp), Discovery Channel, 129.5km in 3:15:47 (39.686 km/h)
2. David Lopez Garcia (Sp), Caisse d'Epargne, at 0:19
3. Joaquin Rodriguez (Sp), Caisse d'Epargne, same time
4. Samuel Sanchez (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 0:22
5. Alexandre Botcharov (Rus), Crédit Agricole, s.t.
6. Franco Pellizotti (I), Liquigas, s.t.
7. Tadej Valjavec (Slo), Lampre, s.t.
8. Davide Rebellin (I), Gerolsteiner, s.t.
9. Frank Schleck (Lux), CSC, s.t.
10. Cadel Evans (Aus), Predictor-Lotto, s.t.

Overall
1. Alberto Contador (Sp), Discovery Channel
2. Davide Rebellin (I), Gerolsteiner, 00:26
3. Luis Leon Sanchez (Sp), Caisse d'Epargne, 00:42
4. Tadej Valjavec (Slo), Lampre, 00:49
5. Franco Pellizotti (I), Liquigas, 00:57
6. David Lopez Garcia (Sp), Caisse d'Epargne, 01:00
7. Cadel Evans (Aus), Predictor-Lotto, 01:01
8. Frank Schleck (Lux), CSC, 01:08
9. Samuel Sanchez (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, 01:12
10. Joaquin Rodriguez (Sp), Caisse d'Epargne, 01:22

Full results