PARIS, July 25, (AP): Alberto Contador won his third Tour de France in four years on Sunday, heralding the arrival of a new cycling superstar as seven-time champion Lance Armstrong competed in the race for the last time.
The 27-year-old Contador sealed his third title by holding off a dramatic challenge from his main rival, Andy Schleck of Luxembourg, in Saturday’s individual time trial.
“I’m very happy,” said Contador, before hoisting the victor’s cup with the Arc de Triomphe in the background. “At times I had difficulty from a psychological and physical standpoint.”
“I suffered to get this result,” he added. “I don’t have words to express what I feel.”
After 3,642 kilometers (2,263 miles) and three weeks of racing over mountains, cobblestones and flats in the Netherlands, Belgium and France, Schleck finished 39 seconds back in second place. It was the fifth time the Tour has been decided by less than a minute in the 107-year history of the race.
Denis Menchov of Russia was third overall, 2:01 back.
Mark Cavendish of Britain claimed his fifth stage victory this Tour and the 15th in his career in a sprint at the end of Sunday’s 20th and final stage — a largely ceremonial 102.5-kilometer (63.7-mile) course from Longjumeau to the Champs-Elysees in Paris.
Contador exchanged hugs with his Astana teammates, who began chanting “Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole” on the famed Paris thoroughfare as thousands of fans lining the route cheered.
Contador joins Greg LeMond, Louison Bobet and Philippe Thys as a three-time Tour champion. Armstrong is the most successful Tour rider with seven consecutive wins, between 1999 and 2005.
Alessandro Petacchi of Italy captured the green jersey given to the race’s top sprinter. He was second in the 20th stage, just ahead of Julian Dean of New Zealand.
Anthony Charteau of France won the polka-dot jersey as the best climber; Schleck takes home the white jersey for being the best young rider for a third straight year, and RadioShack squad won the team competition. Armstrong completed his last Tour in 23rd place, 39:20 after Contador, his former teammate and rival. It was a far cry from the American’s third-place finish in 2009 on his return from a four-year retirement.
Armstrong’s last ride in his beloved race began in controversy and ended under a cloud of suspicion, following accusations by former teammate Floyd Landis that Armstrong used performance-enhancing drugs to win. Landis was stripped of his 2006 Tour title after a positive test and later admitted doping. His allegations against Armstrong and others helped launch a federal investigation.
Armstrong has never tested positive and as he has in the past, again denied any involvement in doping.
On Sunday, his RadioShack team was temporarily barred from starting for wearing improper jerseys — and the race started about 15 minutes late as a result.
TV images showed Armstrong and his teammates putting on normal jerseys with their correct race numbers after they had tried to wear black jerseys with “28” on the back. The figure was chosen to honor the 28 million people fighting cancer, one of the themes of Armstrong’s Livestrong Foundation.
But International Cycling Union officials said they had to change their jerseys and wear the official race numbers.
In an apparent show of defiance, RadioShack riders returned to their bus — with hundreds of fans nearby — and put back on their black jerseys to wear on the podium for the team prize presentation.
Contador sipped champagne during the leisurely ride and held up three fingers to signal his third Tour win. His Astana team was always likely to quash any attempt by Schleck to break away Sunday.
Also during the ride, Contador, who is known as ‘El Pistolero’ for his trademark finger-firing gesture, took a blue plastic squirt gun and sprayed photographers.
For the second year running — at least during the race — the Tour was free of the doping scandals that plagued three straight editions from 2006 to 2008.
Officials say they hope that hundreds of urine and blood tests taken before and during the race, plus tighter laws, are helping to combat cycling’s blight.