Advertisement

Contador keeps promise with stage eight attack on Nibali

By Julien Pretot

GERARDMER France (Reuters) - Alberto Contador gave warning that he would not give up on the yellow jersey without a fight, seizing his first opportunity to attack Tour de France race leader Vincenzo Nibali in the mountains on Saturday.

The Spaniard, true to his aggressive style, accelerated multiple times in the final climb at the end of a 161-km ride from Tomblaine and eventually managed to drop the Italian champion.

Nibali only lost three seconds and still leads Contador by two minutes 34 seconds, but it is the first time that the Astana rider conceded time to his main rival.

"I wanted to see how Nibali was doing and I was surprised he kept so close," Contador told reporters.

"I wasn’t sure whether there was anyone ahead of me, that’s why I moved," he added after finishing second behind Frenchman Blel Kadri.

"I saw there was someone ahead of me and then I decided to take a little bit of time off Nibali. I’m happy. The team was extraordinary and the legs responded well."

Contador, who is now sixth overall, was well supported by his Tinkoff-Saxo team mates, with Michael Rogers and Nicolas Roche next to him until some two kilometres left - a good sign ahead of tougher mountain stages.

Nibali, on the other hand, was left on his own in the last climb after Dane Jakob Fuglsang and Italian Michele Scarponi fell behind.

"We expected Contador to attack anytime. He's ready to gain time wherever he can," said Nibali.

"He went strong. I tried to handle the situation the best way I could."

Before the stage Astana team manager Alexandre Vinokourov had said that if Nibali did not lose time in the Vosges massif, most of the job would have been done.

Saturday's stage suggested that it would be a tough assignment, especially considering Monday's 10th stage, which features four category-one climbs, will be much harder.

"We’ll have to see day by day. Nibali is a great rider like all the great riders ahead of me," said Contador.

"I must keep hoping and try to take time with each stage."

Contador is a master at surprising his rivals with unexpected attacks, having won the 2012 Vuelta after a bold move on the 17th stage.

In the 2011 Tour de France he launched a kamikaze attack in the last mountain stage in order to overthrow race leader Cadel Evans, sending the whole peloton into panic mode.

He failed that day, but that showed the Spaniard is not one to give up. Especially not early in the race.


(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Josh Reich)