Overall leader Alberto Contador let his main rival Andy Schleck win the Tour de France's showpiece stage at the top of the fog-covered Tourmalet Thursday in the knowledge he has a firm grip on his third Tour de France title. The pair left the rest behind in the last ascent to the Pyrenees summit and embraced after crossing the line of the 174-km 17th stage. Schleck's second stage win in the Tour is a sweet consolation for the Luxembourg rider, who faces the near-impossible task of trying to beat the defending champion in Saturday's 52-km time trial. Spaniard Contador, one of five men to have won the Tour, the Giro and the Vuelta, is set to go into the time trial with an eight-second advantage over Schleck and is the better rider of the two in the timed effort. “I gave everything, but he also attacked to show me that he was feeling great and that I could not drop him,” Schleck, who was runner-up to Contador last year, told reporters. “At the end of the stage, he did not really sprint, he showed great respect, it was important for me to win this stage. “Eight seconds ahead of the time trial does not look good but we never know, it's not over before Paris,” added Schleck. Contador's gesture had echoes of seven-time champion Lance Armstrong who, when in a similar situation, let his rivals enjoy the satisfaction of a stage victory. “Of course I have not won a stage but the main goal is to win the Tour,” said Contador, who did not win a stage during his victorious 2008 Giro. “Today it was a good opportunity to win one but if I look at the situation in the overall standings, it's fine.” Following a heatwave that sapped the peloton's energy in the first two weeks of the Tour, temperatures dropped to eight degrees Celsius at top of the Tourmalet after thunderstorms rumbled through the mountains all night. A flock of sheep ran through the peloton in the ascent to the Col du Soulor and a few puzzled riders zigzagged to avoid a crash. They cut through thick fog in the tricky, 19-km descent from the Soulor with 2008 champion Carlos Sastre stuck on his own between the peloton and seven breakaway riders. Sastre was reeled in 25 km from the line and the battle began. Schleck's Saxo Bank team brutally increased the pace as they took over Contador's Astana colleagues in front of the bunch at foot of the final climb. With only the loud cheers of the fans to warm them up and the race motorbikes and cars' headlights to guide the way through the mist, Schleck and Contador climbed at a steady but fast pace. Spain's Samuel Sanchez retained his third place overall, 3:32 behind Contador, despite crashing early in the stage, and Russian Denis Menchov was still fourth, 3:53 off the pace.
