Key moments

Contador: Another Victory For Discovery

Alberto Contador and Cadel Evans made sure that there was no interruption to the tradition of making the final stage a parade to Paris. They two leaders of the general classification were separated by just 23" at the start of the 20th stage - a time gap so small that time bonuses could have changed the outcome - but neither rider upset the sprint specialists at the end of the stage. Daniele Bennati gave his Lampre team its second victory on the Champs-Elysees since 2001 while the 24-year-old Spaniard, Contador claimed the title by the same margin that he held after the penultimate stage.

The final stage of the 94th Tour de France began at 2.01pm. There were 141 riders at the sign-on. The 146km race from Marcoussis to the Champs-Elysees in Paris included two category-four climbs (the cote de St-Remy-les-Chevreuse at 51km and the cote de Chateaufort at 54.5km) and two intermediate sprints: the first in Chatenay-Malabry (at 74km) and the second at the Haut des Champs-Elysees on the third of eight laps of the finish circuit (at 108.5km).

Tranquility The Theme…
The peloton rode at a tranquil pace until reaching the Champs-Elysees. It crossed the line for the start of the first lap at 4.55pm, 40 minutes later the slowest time in the Tour manual’s schedule. Steegmans (QSI) claimed first place at both climbs and there was no contest for the first intermediate sprint. The points were taken by Jegou (FDJ) followed by two Quickstep riders – Barredo and De Jongh.

10 Men Animate The Closing Laps…
With 48km to go, Bichot (AGR) was the first to attack the peloton. He was caught 5km later. Gutierrez and Portal (GCE), Flecha (RAB), Gerrans (A2R), Ballan (LAM), Scholz (GST), Charteau (C.A), Fisher (LIQ), Delage (FDJ) and Knees (MRM) established the first serious escape group when they raced ahead at the 40km to go mark. Discovery Channel led the pursuit initially but then, with 32km to go, Barloworld took over chasing responsibilities. They were 30” behind the escapees. The advantage hovered around half a minute until 5.5km to go when the Lampre-Fondital team took control of the peloton. There was a last-minute attempt by Flecha and Gutierrez to stay ahead of the field but it was rendered void by a strong chase by Lampre-Fondital.

Bennati Claims Victory Number Two
Other sprint teams came to the fore in the final two kilometers when Credit Agricole and Quickstep joined in the pacesetting at the head of the peloton. It was a frantic finale but Bennati proved finished off the work of his colleagues by claiming his second stage victory in four days ahead of the five men who were ahead of him in the points classification before the start of the stage: Hushovd, Zabel, Hunter and Boonen.

Contador Leads Discovery’s Renaissance
One year after failing to place a rider in the top 10 of the general classification, the Discovery Channel team ended the 2007 Tour de France with first, third and eighth place. Alberto Contador followed Cadel Evans over the line to finish 36th in the stage but become the latest rider from Johan Bruyneel’s squad to claim the Tour title. Levi Leipheimer was 37th in the day and the fact that the three men at the top of the general classification all crossed the line next to each other reflects how closely they marked each other during the stage. Alberto Contador claimed his maiden Tour de France title, 23 seconds ahead of Evans and 31 seconds ahead of his team-mate. It’s the closest time gaps for the three podium places in the history of the Tour de France.

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Tom Boonen (QSI) – “To reach the finish is what matters…”

What Tom Boonen wants, it seems, Tom Boonen gets. He has won Classics and the world championships. Now his resume also includes the victory in the points classification of the Tour de France.

“I started the final stage with the ambition of winning it but on the final circuits of the Champs-Elysees, at the end of a long Tour, I was particularly focused on following the wheels of my main rivals in the points classification Zabel and Hunter. It’s not that I didn’t have the power in my legs, but I only thought of reaching the finish. That was all. It is something veryspecial but I cannot really compare this green jersey with a victory in the Classics or with the world championship win. It is, however, a very important conquest for me. It was the reason I came to the Tour and it’s beautiful to realize that objective.”

Mauricio Soler (BAR) – “Every day I thought of my family…”

In his first attempt at the Tour de France, Mauricio Soler knew that he had to adapt and add ambition to his qualities as a climber. He ended the race with dominant lead in climbers’ category and was crowned King of the Mountains.

“I have always been a rather serene rider. I am a pragmatist and realize that if you do things well, there’s no reason that the results won’t follow. I cam to the Tour without a definite goal but the prestige of the event is something that lures you in and extracts more from you. The Tour gave me a desire to exceed my expectations. My life was not very complicated before I arrived at my first Tour and I should point out that when we arrived in the Alps my condition was good and I was able to take full advantage of that. I had great form and I thought I should test myself to see how far I could go.
“It was a will to win that pushed me further, but also the support of my family. Every day I thought of my family over in Colombia and here I have lived out something that I’ll remember for a long time to come.”

Alberto Contador (DSC) 1st – “I was able to deliver…”

Many Spaniards have come through the ranks being touted as The New Indurain, but finally the Iberian peninsular appears to have found a rider with the talent and team support to back such claims. The 24-year-old was victorious in a race he started as a domestique for a team-mate who eventually finished just 31 seconds behind him.

“I had not come to the Tour thinking that I could win it. It is true that, after my victory in Paris-Nice last March, I knew that I was able to pull off other beautiful things but it is always very difficult to imagine a scenario like this. I did not know that I would still be in contention for victory after the time trial on the penultimate stage. That race in stage 19 was definitely the hardest of the Tour for me. I was afraid, but I was preparing for it one day at a time. And, when it mattered most, I was able to deliver a good result.”

Daniele Bennati (LAM) – “My career starts now…”

For the second time in four days, Daniele Bennati got to throw a victory salute in a stage of the Tour de France. The Italian led the pure sprinters across the line on the Champs-Elysees and now believes his career is about to take off.

“I think that for a rider like me, to win in Paris is quite simply a dream come true. I came to the Tour de France hoping to win one stage and finally I did that the other day… now I have two! I have the ability to realize my fantasies. Now perhaps I’ll become a more respected rider in the peloton, that’s the beauty of what this kind of victory can do to a rider’s career.
“I’m not just a pure sprinter. I won the stage to Castelsarrasin after a long escape. I have had numerous physical problems of late and that’s all behind me now. I have the impression that my career starts now.”

Levi Leipheimer (DSC) 3rd – “If I inspire someone, that would be great…”

After winning the penultimate stage, only nine seconds stood between Levi Leipheimer and the runner-up position. He lost 10 seconds in a penalty early in the 2007 Tour de France when he was the designated captain of the Discovery Channel squad prior to the race. He isn’t complaining about that loss at all, rather just considering the impact he may have on the next generation of cyclists.

“It’s unfortunate that I had a 10 second time penalty in stage eight, otherwise I would have been second overall but it’s part of the race. I could have counted seconds that I lost along the way other than that incident so I can’t be disappointed. There’s a difference between second and third but it’s not as big a difference between first and second. I’m happy to be on the podium.
“It’s been a dream my whole life just to ride the Tour but to win a stage and finish on the podium really fulfills me. Since I was a kid I always watched this race and I dreamed of not only riding it but winning a stage.
“To be part of the American legacy – joining the others who have stood on the podium at the Tour – is a big honor. I’m proud to be part of that very established company. When I grew up, Greg Lemond was winning the Tour and he inspired me. Then Lance inspired the next generation. If I inspire someone today, that would be great.”

Cadel Evans (PRL) 2nd – “Welcome to our beautiful sport…!”

Cadel Evans was just 23 seconds shy of becoming the first Australian to win the Tour de France. It’s the second closest winning margin in the history of the race but the achievement won’t change the way the softly-spoken rider goes about his daily routine.

“We had a plan to try and chase some time bonuses but the way the teams rode in the final there was no such luck. It was really quite fast in the finish and it was actually quite dangerous – even Tom Boonen admitted that he thought that he thought about the danger in the sprint and opted for safety instead.
“It’s the second closest winning margin in the history of the Tour. That’s something I was already cursing about after the stage to Loudenvielle when I was 55 seconds behind Contador. Now I think people understand why I go for general classification and don’t really concern myself with stage wins. To claim the time trial stage in Albi along the way isn’t bad though even if I haven’t yet officially been declared the winner yet. If there was a time bonus for a time trial win, the advantage here today would have been just three seconds between first and second place. That would have been very frustrating…
“I hear that everyone in Australia is going crazy for cycling. To them I say, welcome to our beautiful sport! Enjoy it.
“It’s a good result and a podium is something I’ve been hoping for and training for but I’m still the same person. I’ll go home on Monday and take the dog for a walk but now, if I miss a training ride or two, I won’t be complaining about it like I would have done before.”

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