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Contador - A cycling superstar

Paris - 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.

Mark Cavendish of Britain claimed his fifth stage victory this Tour and the 15th in his career in a sprint at the end of the 20th and final stage - a largely ceremonial 102.5km course from Longjumeau to the Champs-Elysees in Paris.

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.

Schleck finished second, 39 seconds back, and Denis Menchov of Russia was third overall.

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.

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 most beloved race began in controversy.

His RadioShack team was temporarily delayed from starting on Sunday for wearing improper jerseys, the race beginning 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 honour 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.

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.

Factfile on Alberto Contador:

Name: Alberto Contador
Date of birth: December 6, 1982
Place of birth: Madrid
Nationality: Spanish
Height: 1.76m
Weight: 61kg
Teams: ONCE (2003), Liberty (2004-2006), Discovery Channel (2007), Astana (2008-present)

Principal victories

Grand Tours:

Tour de France: 2010, 2009, 2007 (and best young rider). Three stage wins (Plateau de Beille 2007, Verbier and Annecy time trial 2009)
Tour of Italy: 2008
Tour of Spain: 2008. Two stage wins (Angliru, Fuentes de Invierno).

Stage races:


Paris-Nice 2007, 2010
Tour of the Basque Country 2008 and 2009
Catalan cycling week 2005
Tour of Castilla and Leon 2007 and 2008, 2010
Tour of the Algarve 2009 and 2010

One-day races:

Spanish time trial championship 2009

TDF 2010 Stage winners:

July 3 - Prologue, Rotterdam, Netherlands, 8.9 kilometers (5.5 miles) (Fabian Cancellara, Switzerland; Cancellara)
July 4 - Stage 1, Rotterdam_Brussels, plain, Belgium, 223.5 (138.9) (Alessandro Petacchi, Italy; Cancellara)
July 5 - Stage 2, Brussels_Spa, Belgium, hilly, 201 (124.9) (Sylvain Chavanel, France; Chavanel)
July 6 - Stage 3, Wanze, Belgium_Arenberg-Porte du Hainaut, France, plain, 213 (132.4) (Thor Hushovd, Norway; Cancellara)
July 7 - Stage 4, Cambrai_Reims, plain, 153.5 (95.4) (Petacchi; Cancellara)
July 8 - Stage 5, Epernay_Montargis, plain, 187.5 (116.5) (Mark Cavendish, Britain; Cancellara)
July 9 - Stage 6, Montargis_Gueugnon, plain, 227.5 (141.4) (Cavendish; Cancellara)
July 10 - Stage 7, Tournus_Station des Rousses, medium mountain, 165.5 (102.8) (Chavanel; Chavanel)
July 11 - Stage 8, Station des Rousses_Morzine Avoriaz, high mountain, 189 (117.4) (Andy Schleck, Luxembourg; Cadel Evans, Australia)
July 12 - Rest day in Morzine Avoriaz
July 13 - Stage 9, Morzine-Avoriaz_Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, high mountain, 204.5 (127.1) (Sandy Casar, France; Schleck)
July 14 - Stage 10, Chambery_Gap, medium mountain, 179 (111.2) (Sergio Paulinho, Portugal; Schleck)
July 15 - Stage 11, Sisteron_Bourg-les-Valence, plain, 184.5 (114.6) (Cavendish; Schleck)
July 16 - Stage 12, Bourg-de-Peage_Mende, hilly, 210.5 (130.8) (Joaquin Rodriguez, Spain; Schleck)
July 17 - Stage 13, Rodez_Revel, plain, 196 (121.8) (Alexandre Vinokourov, Kazakhstan; Schleck).
July 18 - Stage 14, Revel_Ax-3 Domaines, high mountain, 184.5 (114.6) (Christophe Riblon, France; Schleck)
July 19 - Stage 15, Pamiers_Bagnes-de-Luchon, high mountain, 187 (116.2) (Thomas Voeckler, France; Alberto Contador, Spain)
July 20 - Stage 16, Bagneres-de-Luchon_Pau, high mountain, 199.5 (124.0) (Pierrick Fedrigo, France; Contador)
July 21 - Rest day in Pau
July 22 - Stage 17, Pau_Col du Tourmalet, high mountain, 174 (108.1) (Schleck; Contador)
July 23 - Stage 18, Salies-de-Bearn_Bordeaux, plain, 198 (123.0) (Cavendish; Contador)
July 24 - Stage 19, Bordeaux_Pauillac, individual time trial, 52 (32.3) (Cancellara; Contador)
July 25 - Stage 20, Longjumeau_Paris Champs-Elysees, plain, 102.5 (63.7) (Cavendish; Contador)
Total - 3 641.4 km

Below is a list of all-time victory records on the race, first held in 1903.


Seven wins:

Lance Armstrong (USA): 1999 to 2005

Five wins:

Jacques Anquetil (FRA): 1957, 1961 to 1964
Eddy Merckx (BEL): 1969 to 1972, 1974
Bernard Hinault (FRA): 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1985
Miguel Indurain (ESP): 1991 to 1995

Three wins:

Philippe Thys (BEL): 1913, 1914, 1920
Louison Bobet (FRA): 1953 to 1955
Greg LeMond (USA): 1986, 1989, 1990
Alberto Contador (ESP): 2007, 2009, 2010

Past winners of the Tour de France:

1903 Maurice Garin (FRA)
1904 Henri Cornet (FRA)
1905 Louis Trousselier (FRA)
1906 Rene Pottier (FRA)
1907 Lucien Petit-Breton (FRA)
1908 Lucien Petit-Breton (FRA)
1909 Francois Faber (LUX)
1910 Octave Lapize (FRA)
1911 Gustave Garrigou (FRA)
1912 Odile Defraye (BEL)
1913 Philippe Thys (BEL)
1914 Philippe Thys (BEL)
1919 Firmin Lambot (BEL)
1920 Philippe Thys (BEL)
1921 Leon Scieur (BEL)
1922 Firmin Lambot (BEL)
1923 Henri Pelissier (FRA)
1924 Ottavio Bottechia (ITA)
1925 Ottavio Bottechia (ITA)
1926 Lucien Buysse (BEL)
1927 Nicolas Frantz (LUX)
1928 Nicolas Frantz (LUX)
1929 Maurice De Waele (BEL)
1930 Andre Leducq (FRA)
1931 Antonin Magne (FRA)
1932 Andre Leducq (FRA)
1933 Georges Speicher (FRA)
1934 Antonin Magne (FRA)
1935 Romain Maes (BEL)
1936 Sylvere Maes (BEL)
1937 Roger Lapebie (FRA)
1938 Gino Bartali (ITA)
1939 Sylvere Maes (BEL)
1947 Jean Robic (FRA)
1948 Gino Bartali (ITA)
1949 Fausto Coppi (ITA)
1950 Ferdi Kubler (SUI)
1951 Hugo Koblet (SUI)
1952 Fausto Coppi (ITA)
1953 Louison Bobet (FRA)
1954 Louison Bobet (FRA)
1955 Louison Bobet (FRA)
1956 Roger Walkowiak (FRA)
1957 Jacques Anquetil (FRA)
1958 Charly Gaul (LUX)
1959 Federico Bahamontes (ESP)
1960 Gastone Nencini (ITA)
1961 Jacques Anquetil (FRA)
1962 Jacques Anquetil (FRA)
1963 Jacques Anquetil (FRA)
1964 Jacques Anquetil (FRA)
1965 Felice Gimondi (ITA)
1966 Lucien Aimar (FRA)
1967 Roger Pingeon (FRA)
1968 Jan Janssen (NED)
1969 Eddy Merckx (BEL)
1970 Eddy Merckx (BEL)
1971 Eddy Merckx (BEL)
1972 Eddy Merckx (BEL)
1973 Luis Ocana (ESP)
1974 Eddy Merckx (BEL)
1975 Bernard Thevenet (FRA)
1976 Lucien Van Impe (BEL)
1977 Bernard Thevenet (FRA)
1978 Bernard Hinault (FRA)
1979 Bernard Hinault (FRA)
1980 Joop Zoetemelk (NED)
1981 Bernard Hinault (FRA)
1982 Bernard Hinault (FRA)
1983 Laurent Fignon (FRA)
1984 Laurent Fignon (FRA)
1985 Bernard Hinault (FRA)
1986 Greg LeMond (USA)
1987 Stephen Roche (IRL)
1988 Pedro Delgado (ESP)
1989 Greg LeMond (USA)
1990 Greg LeMond (USA)
1991 Miguel Indurain (ESP)
1992 Miguel Indurain (ESP)
1993 Miguel Indurain (ESP)
1994 Miguel Indurain (ESP)
1995 Miguel Indurain (ESP)
1996 Bjarne Riis (DEN) *
1997 Jan Ullrich (GER)
1998 Marco Pantani (ITA)
1999 Lance Armstrong (USA)
2000 Lance Armstrong (USA)
2001 Lance Armstrong (USA)
2002 Lance Armstrong (USA)
2003 Lance Armstrong (USA)
2004 Lance Armstrong (USA)
2005 Lance Armstrong (USA)
2006 Oscar Pereiro (ESP) **
2007 Alberto Contador (ESP)
2008 Carlos Sastre (ESP)
2009 Alberto Contador (ESP)
2010 Alberto Contador (ESP)
* Riis admitted in 2007 he used EPO (erythrpoietin) to secure victory, although his victory has not been officially erased.
** Pereiro declared champion after disqualification of American Floyd Landis for doping.

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