Alberto Contador was expected to make an impression on the race on the first day of climbing in the Alps and that’s exactly what he did. He bolted ahead of all his rivals at the base of the final ascent and into the yellow jersey with an impressive display of climbing. Carlos Sastre and a host of other favorites would lose contact early but fight to limit their losses but they all appear to be racing for second place in the 2009 Tour as Contador was outstanding. He claimed the victory in the stage ahead of an impressive Andy Schleck and now leads the general classification from his team-mate, the seven-time champion Lance Armstrong.
The Progress Report
The Tour returned to the mountains with the 15th stage from Pontarlier to Verbier in Switzerland. On the menu were six categorized climbs, three cat-three – the cote du Rafour (8km), cote des Etroits (18.5km), cote de la Carrière (54km) and the cote de Prévonloup (74km), the cat-2 col des Mosses (135.5km) and the final ascent, a cat-1 climb to Verbier. There are now just two intermediate sprints for the non-time trial stages; points for the green jersey can be acquired in Thierrens (56.5km) and Martigny (181km).
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