Contador takes yellow jersey
Contador takes maillot jaune
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Thursday, 26, Jul 2007 10:17
Spanish rider Alberto Contador has taken possession of the yellow jersey after the 17th stage of the Tour de France between Pau and Castelsarrasin.
Italian Daniele Bennati won his first Tour victory today after winning a closely contested sprint on the run up to the line.
Despite finishing the day some nine minutes behind a breakaway group of four, 25-year-old Contador's Discovery team managed to get a grip of the peloton and deliver the overall lead to their team-mate.
"I am happy. I feel good," Contador said, before choosing to address the farcical circumstances that resulted in him taking over the lead of Le Tour.
"I would have preferred to take the yellow jersey in yesterday's stage but there are particular circumstances."
He also distanced himself from Operation Puerto, the case brought against doctor Eufemiano Fuertes in 2006 for administering doping products to more than 200 athletes, with a link to Contador preventing his participation in last year's Tour.
"If I wasn't clean, then I wouldn't be here," he said.
"I've undergone all the required doping tests, both at the race and before it."
Contador's inheritance of the maillot jaune follows Danish rider Michael Rasmussen's exit from the Tour on Wednesday evening after he was sacked by his Rabobank team after missing out-of-competition drugs tests.
It was also revealed that the 33-year-old told testers he was in Mexico when he was actually in Italy.