Armstrong Vs. Contador at Tour

The pack climbs towards Envalira Pass, Andorra,Pyrenees mountains, during the 8th stage of the Tour...

The pack climbs towards Envalira Pass, Andorra,Pyrenees mountains, during the 8th stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 176.5 kilometers (109.7 miles) with start in Andorra and finish in Saint-Girons, France, Saturday July 11, 2009. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

(AP)

The victory for Caisse d'Epargne rider Sanchez was a boost to his team. Oscar Pereiro, the 2006 Tour champion, quit the race due to fatigue and the team's star rider, Alejandro Valverde, is not in the Tour because of an Italian doping probe.

Even riders such as Sanchez, a friend of Contador, were making allusions to the duel within Astana — as though many in the pack are sensing that the team could implode.

Sanchez said he hoped Contador would win the Tour, before adding: "I'm not going to get into the polemic in their team about who can win between him and Armstrong."

But he said Contador was dazzling in the final climb into the Arcalis ski station in Andorra on Friday — the first big test of the race, and a clear sign that his legs are fresh.

In the last 1.2 miles, Contador burst ahead of Armstrong and other contenders and gained more than 20 seconds on them in a short span.

"It's true that compared to his other adversaries, he's really gotten a jump," Sanchez said.

Among the other favorites, Schleck is 1:49 back in ninth, defending Tour winner Carlos Sastre of Spain is 2:52 back in 16th, and Evans is 3:07 behind in 18th place.

Riders face a third and final day in the Pyrenees on Sunday, a 100-mile course from Saint-Gaudens to Tarbes via the Tourmalet Pass, one of the toughest climbs in cycling.

Monday is the race's first rest day. The race ends July 26 in Paris.

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