There is no drafting, breaking away or team tactics at the Tour de France individual time trial. The bicycle racers win or lose on their own.
Here are the big winners from the 25-mile Stage 18 time trial at Annecy:
Alberto Contador — The Astana cyclist solidified his position in the yellow jersey by winning the stage and earning more respect for his efforts. His 48:30 was 3 seconds faster than Fabian Cancellara, whose time was the one to shoot for most of the day.
Lance Armstrong — Finished 16th on the stage but moved up to 3rd overall in the General Classification. He finished 1:30 behind Contador, but ahead of a whole host of other rivals for a podium position in Paris. [Armstrong also announced he'll ride for Team RadioShack in 2010. ]
Andy Schleck — Although not known for his time trialing abilities, the Saxo Bank cyclist finished in 21st, fast enough to retain his 2nd place in the overall standings and maintain more than a one-minute margin over Armstrong.
Bradley Wiggins — After losing time on Wednesday's last day in the Alps and dropping three places to 6th in the overall standings, the British cyclist on Garmin turned in a good enough time to climb up to 4th overall and within 11 seconds of 3rd place Armstrong.
Good times were also turned in by David Zabriskie, who finished in 10th place on the day, and Christian Vande Velde, who finished in 24th. George Hincapie finished in 34th place in the ITT, remarkable considering that he's suffering from a possible broken collarbone.
Some of the losers of the day:
Frank Schleck — After winning Wednesday's mountain stage helping his brother, Andy, move into 2nd overall, the elder Schleck lived up to early predictions for the time trial and finished in 35th, dropping back to 6th place in the overall competition.
Andreas Kloden — Although he finished a respectable 9th in the individual time trial, the Astana cyclist remained in 6th place after failing by 3 seconds to unseat Wiggins from 5th. Observers say Kloden suffered from teammate Contador's attack on Wednesday that may have robbed him of a Top 3 appearance in Paris.
Cadel Evans — The Silence-Lotto cyclist finished in 12th place, 1:14 behind Contador. While a decent finish, it was far slower than whatever he needed to make himself a player in the 2009 Tour de France. He's 29th in the overall standings. He finished 2nd in the 2008 Tour de France.
Carlos Sastre — Same for the defending champion of the Tour de France, who sits in 14th place overall. He finished in 70th place on the day.
Top 10 overall
1. Alberto Contador (Astana)
2. Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) – 4:11
3. Lance Armstrong (Astana) – 5:25
4. Bradley Wiggins (Garmin) – 5:36
5. Andreas Kloden (Astana) – 5:38
6. Frank Schleck (Saxo Bank) – 5:59
7. Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) – 7:15
8. Christian Vande Velde (Garmin) – 10:08
9. Mikel Astarloza (Eukaltel Euskadi) – 12:38
10. Christophe Le Mevel (Francaise des Jeux) – 12:41
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