Astana’s tactical nous helped stamp out Saxo Bank’s efforts to unsettle overall Tour de France leader Alberto Contador on Tuesday and has given them extra confidence for the next mountain stage. Astana were tested by the rival team’s attack in the Alps but came through without Contador losing any time after the Spaniard, German Andreas Kloeden and seven-times champion Lance Armstrong finished the 16th stage in a group of favourites.
“We knew what was going to happen,†Astana team manager Johan Bruyneel told reporters.
“It was obvious, with (Fabian) Cancellara and (Jens) Voigt in the breakaway. When we saw that, we kind of figured out what their plan was: put two riders in front and try to attack from behind and have at least four riders together to launch an attack.â€Â  … Details
Alberto Contador has kept the overall lead in the Tour de France after another ride in the Alps, with Lance Armstrong clinging to second place.
Mikel Astarloza of Spain won the 16th stage Tuesday, a 99-mile route from the Swiss town of Martigny to Bourg-Saint-Maurice. Contador and Armstrong finished in the main pack behind Astarloza and other breakaway riders.
Armstrong, a seven-time champion, had to catch up to Contador after several attackers burst ahead in the second of two long climbs.
Contador, the 2007 champion, leads Armstrong by …Â Detail
Lance Armstrong can concentrate on winning the hearts of the French public after team mate Alberto Contador asserted his authority on the Tour de France by hammering the field in the first Alpine stage.
Armstrong’s dream of winning an eighth Tour vanished in the last five kilometres of the ascent to Verbier on Sunday, when Spaniard Contador flew solo to take the yellow jersey.
“I’m really happy, perfectly happy, to be a domestique. If someone like Contador shows today, `Hey, I’m the best,’ you have to accept it,†the 37-year-old American said.
Another Tour de France is now starting for Armstrong, a rider who never been a popular figure in the country…Â Details
Levi Leipheimer has withdrawn from the Tour de France after breaking his wrist in a crash at the end of Stage 12 on Thursday.  According to a Twitter post on Friday morning, Leipheimer was undergoing surgery to insert screws in the broken wrist.
 Interviews with Lance Armstrong recently indicated that Leipheimer was going to compete with Armstrong and 1300 other racers in Leadville, Colorado on August 15, at the Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race.  Armstrong said he and Leipheimer were going after the current course record of 6:45, with the goal of getting as close to 6 hours as possible… Details