• Tour de France, Stage Nine

Contador and Schleck blow Tour apart

Sandy Casar was rewarded for getting in the breakaway by taking the stage © Getty Images

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Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck proved beyond doubt they will fight it out for the yellow jersey all the way into Paris by decimating the rest of the challengers on Stage Nine of the Tour de France.

Sandy Casar won the stage into Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne after winning the battle of the breakaway riders, but it was the actions of Contador and Schleck that took the race by the scruff of the neck.

A 12-man group went away early on and were allowed to build a six-minute advantage as they were largely ignored by the leading teams. By the time the leaders hit the top of the huge climb up the Col de la Madeleine, only four of the breakaway remained and they stayed together to the finish - with Casar winning the sprint.

The action was going on further back and as the peloton hit the base of the Madeleine, Saxo Bank rider Chris Anker Sorensen put in a huge turn on the front and his efforts shattered the group. The pace was then taken up Contador's Astana team and the leaders were steadily whittled away.

The yellow jersey of Cadel Evans slipped towards the back and this prompted an attack from Contador and Schleck. Only Samuel Sanchez was able to go with the leaders, but he was blown once the two powerhouses of the tour turned up the pressure yet further.

They raced together to the finish, catching the break in the final kilometre but unable to take the stage, and it was enough to take Schleck into yellow, with Contador now in second place on General Classification, 41 seconds behind the leader.

Lance Armstrong had a horror day on Sunday, his hopes of an eighth Tour disappearing following three crashes, but he showed all his quality by fighting all the way up the Madeleine. He lost 2.47 to Contador and Schleck, but put time into a number other GC contenders as he rode with great pride to come home in 16th overall.

Stage Nine - Morzine-Avoriaz to Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne
1 Sandy Casar - Française des Jeux - 5:38:10
2 Luis León Sánchez - Caisse d'Epargne - Same time
3 Damiano Cunego - Lampre- Same time
4 Christophe Moreau - Caisse d'Epargne - 5:38:12
5 Anthony Charteau - Bbox Bouygues Telecom - Same time
6 Alberto Contador - Astana -
7 Andy Schleck - Saxo Bank -
8 Samuel Sánchez - Euskaltel - 5:39:02
9 Joaquin Rodriguez - Katusha - 5:40:17
10 Levi Leipheimer - Team Radioshack - Same time

General Classification after Stage Nine
1 Andy Schleck - Saxo Bank - 43:35:41
2 Alberto Contador - Astana - +0:00:41
3 Samuel Sanchez - Euskaltel - +0:02:45
4 Denis Menchov - Rabobank - 0:02:58
5 Jurgen Van Den Broeck - Omega Pharma-Lotto - 0:03:31
6 Levi Leipheimer - Radioshack - +0:03:59
7 Robert Gesink - Rabobank - +0:04:22
8 Luis León Sánchez - Caisse d'Epargne - +0:04:41
9 Joaquin Rodriguez - Katusha - +0:05:08
10 Ivan Basso - Liquigas-Doimo - +0:05:09
16 Bradley Wiggins - Sky - +0:07:18
18 Cadel Evans - BMC - +0:07:48
31 Lance Armstrong - Radioshack - 0:15:54

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