Schleck keeps his nose in front of rival Contador
YELLOW jersey holder Andy Schleck edged closer to his first Tour de France title after a cat-and-mouse duel with defending champion Alberto Contador in the Pyrenees.
Frenchman Christophe Riblon was the surprise winner of the 14th stage – the first of four consecutive energy-sapping days in the mountains.
But the most significant action was unfolding behind the Ag2r La Mondiale rider, as Schleck battled to maintain his 31 second advantage over Contador.
The overall race leader may have succeeded, finishing with the same time as the Spaniard, but the pair both lost 14 seconds to rivals Denis Menchov and Samuel Sanchez.
Contador made his move on the final climb, 5km from the finish line in Ax-3-Domaines, but his Team Saxo Bank adversary refused to let him get away.
Schleck then took his turn to seize the initiative with just 2km to go, only for Astana man Contador, who is seeking his third Tour title in four years, to match him.
Menchov, of Rabobank, and Sanchez, of Euskaltel-Euskadi, capitalised on the leading duo’s distraction to close the gap on Schleck to just over two and a half minutes.