Contador rides to greatness

After three weeks, 21 stages, visiting six countries, a compelling Tour de France is in the books. There may have been many questions leading up to the race regarding Astana and the identity of its team leader, but those were emphatically answered by a man considered to be the greatest climber of his generation, Alberto Contador.

The Spaniard, despite perhaps lacking the tactical knowledge of his team-mate and rival Lance Armstrong, knew exactly when and how to attack his rivals and put them under pressure. The first sign of his position as Astana's leader came during his ascent in Andorra on Stage 7 which put him ahead of Armstrong in the General Classification, and his fantastic display up to Verbier on Stage 15, which put him in the yellow jersey by 1:37, meant that it became his Tour to lose.

Previous years had seen Contador falter in time trials, but his 2nd place finish in the Stage 1 event in Monaco suggested that he could not only limit his losses against Armstrong, Bradley Wiggins and his other GC rivals on Stage 18 in Annecy, but actually make gains. He did just that, producing an amazing display to win the stage and, to all intents and purposes, the Tour.

All he had to do was maintain his 4:11 lead into Paris, which he did with comfort, and despite the embarrassment over standing on the podium and being played the Danish national anthem instead of the Spanish, he proudly took the final yellow jersey and the plaudits, and a place among the greats of the sport.

This week in sport

A few weeks ago Michael Owen was facing an uncertain future. The speculation over where he would begin the new season was widespread following his exit from Newcastle. Although there were a number of teams in for his signature, the general consensus had been that his days at the very top were in the past and he would struggle to find a club which would challenge for honours. Of course, Manchester United came calling on the first day of his free agency, the 1st July. Had it been three months ago, we would have given it the April Fool treatment, but this was no hoax, Sir Alex Ferguson was for real. Many expressed their disappointment at the deal, but I for one believe that United have secured a fantastic acquisition, bringing in a player that is desperate to prove that he is still great. After the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo, maybe United have to do the same. The World Cup is looming large; hopefully this can give England an option up front that they thought they had lost.

An enjoyable Wimbledon fortnight culminated in a fantastic Mens' Singles final on Sunday afternoon. I was worried that the occasion may be an anti-climax; surely it wouldn't live up to the drama of last year's final, and perhaps Andy Roddick had reached his peak in defeating Andy Murray on Friday. Nevertheless, I was looking forward to seeing Roger Federer reach a record 15 Grand Slam titles, and despite my expectation of a comfortable win for the Swiss, I still looked forward to the match. Thankfully my worries of a blowout were soon cast aside, and the two exchanged blows in a terrific four-hour contest. The match lasted a record 77 games, and the final set (16-14) was longer in terms of games played than most matches, including Saturday's Ladies Singles final (7-6, 6-2). Excuse the cliche, but it really was a shame there had to be a loser. It was fantastic drama, and surely was evidence of my opinion that the ladies should only recieve equal prize money to the men when they start playing five set matches.

One of my favourite sporting events of the year, the Tour de France, began in Monaco on Saturday. Of course there is widespread coverage of Lance Armstrong's return, but while some believe he can reach the Champs-Elysees in the yellow jersey for his 8th victory, I think his age and years away from the sport will prevent him from being a genuine contender. Cycling however, especially at the Tour de France, is as much a team game - if not more so - as individual, and Armstrong's presence in the Astana line-up will be a massive help for Alberto Contador, winner in 2007, and probable winner last year had the team been allowed to race. Contador should win the yellow jersey, but from a British viewpoint, I hope Mark Cavendish can bring the green jersey home. He won Sunday's Stage 2 easily following a fantastic leadout from his Columbia team, and with a team assembled for this one goal, I expect Cavendish to more than make up for his Olympic disappointment of last year.