2009 Tour de France Stage 7: Contador Issues Ominous Warning, Armstrong Toes Company Line

Alberto Contador delivered a warning to the Tour de France favorites during stage seven, attacking in the final few kilometers of the race to come within a scant six seconds of the yellow jersey. Rocketing away from a small group that featured three of his teammates and most of the top GC favorites, Contador' s symphony set a pace that no one else could match and was able to gain valuable time on all his rivals, including his own teammate Lance Armstrong.

The Texan for his part rode admirably, but like all of the other riders finished behind the Spaniard after Contador's blistering acceleration on the way to the Tour's first summit finish. Contador's tactic apparently was not ordered by the Astana team, and the tension on Armstrong's and Johan Bruyneel's part was palpable during post race interviews. Both Armstrong and Bruyneel reluctantly admitted that Contador was asked not to attack, but neither seemed surprised that he did.

As expected, the GC saw a major reshuffling, with Contador now the best placed of the big pre-race favorites. Armstrong sits only two seconds behind Contador and showed no signs of being any weaker than Contador. Armstrong, true to his word, did not chase when Contador attacked, and when the rest of the field was unable to bring Contador back, Armstrong ended up with the same time as that same elite main chasing group.

With two more tough mountain stages over the weekend, and with two upcoming stages without radios coupled with a bumpy stage 13 and summit finish on stage 15, there will be plenty of opportunities for attacks and differing tactics over the ensuing days. Contador's attack in stage seven answered Armstrong's taking of time on stage three, and the two are at a stalemate with more tough stages on tap in the coming week. If things keep going as they have been, Armstrong and Contador could find themselves heading into the brutal final week of the Tour, featuring huge climbs and a 40 kilometer time trial, ahead of the showdown on Ventoux with about the same time. Armstrong feels he is getting stronger and stronger by the day, and the time trial course of stage 18 is right in Armstrong's wheelhouse. Mostly flat with one minor climb, the parcours for the time trial will leave Armstrong with few excuses should he not pull out the win. 

Now that Contador has made clear that he will attack for the win, perhaps the splitting of the Astana is finally about to take place. Contador can surely count Jesus Hernandez in his corner, but almost every other rider on the Astana team would likely throw their support to the favor of Armastrong based on his track record. An exciting week in store at the Tour de France, the likes of which, like it or not, we've not see in past years. And for Americans an added bonus, as Christian Vande Velde is looking, like he did in 2008, like a Real Deal. Game on at the 2009 Tour de France.

Contador meanwhile seems content to let his legs do the talking, and thus far he has managed to mitigate any potential controversy when answering questions from the press. Confident in his abilities in the high mountains, Contador seems poised to go it alone if need be, but is doing nothing to sabotage his tenuous standing within the Astana team. Instead of talking, he'll remain silent over the coming days, looking for more opportunities to take time from his rivals in the future stages.

Among the favorites not a part of the Astana team, it was young Andy Schleck and Lotto's Cadel Evans that looked the strongest, as each put in big efforts in trying to bring Contador back. American Christian Vande Velde too rode very well, showing that his 2008 performance was anything but a fluke. Meanwhile his teammate Brad Wiggins, not known typically as a climber, was another aggressive attacker on the way to the finish, showing his amazing form thus far in the race. Finally, Columbia's Tony Martin, the revelation of the 2009 Tour de France thus far, continued to hang with the big favorites and maintained his hold on the best young rider's white jersey. Among the Liquigas duo of Vincenzo Nibali and Roman Kreuziger, it was the Italian Nibali who fared better than his teammate, who was dropped and finished with the second group on the road, losing valuable time.

The next two stages feature big climbs but no summit finishes, and the top favorites, barring a crash or major mechanical problem, should all finish together. There is a possibility for an escape though, as the more talented descenders may be able to force a gap on the high-speed run-ins to the finish over the next two days. Expect Nibali to try his hand on a descent to try to take a handful of seconds, while a rider like Yaroslav Popovic may be able to try for a stage win with a tactical and timely descent.