Spaniard Alberto Contador took a huge step towards a third yellow jersey triumph after matching a series of attacks from Andy Schleck on the Tour de France 17th stage Thursday. Schleck began the final climbing stage of this year's race, a 174km ride from Pau to the Colonel du Tourmalet, with an eight-second deficit to Spain's two-time winner in the race for the yellow jersey.
Schleck warned on Wednesday's rest day he was confident of attacking Contador throughout the climb to the legendary summit and taking the yellow back from the Spaniard, who took the race lead after Schleck suffered a mechanical setback on Monday.
But despite repeated attacks in a bid to shake Contador off his wheel during the final 10km of the 18.6km slog to the fog-shrouded summit, Schleck finished with Contador sitting comfortably on his wheel at the finish line. "I gave it everything today, I tried to attack, I changed rhythm several times to try and drop him and I just couldn't," said Schleck, who applauded Contador's gentlemanly conduct at the end.
"In the end I have to say respect to Alberto because he didn't sprint (for the finish) at the end." It means Astana team leader Contador will retain his eight-second lead over the Saxo Bank climbing specialist ahead of Friday's 18th stage, which is likely to finish in a bunch sprint.
Schleck's last chance to overhaul Contador would be in Saturday's penultimate stage time trial over a 52km-long flat course, a discipline in which the Spaniard has a far better record. On Wednesday, Schleck said he would need to go into the time trial with a lead of at least one minute on Contador, "but preferably more".
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