Tour de France - Contador seals his win, Armstrong owns third

France - Nobody woke up Saturday morning expecting that Juan Manuel Garate might conquer Mont Ventoux. Epic climbs like this one on the penultimate day of the Tour de France, an unprecedented scheduling anomaly, really should produce a heroic victor.

Instead, the first man to reach the stony summit would be an Italian who will finish the 96th Tour de France in 62nd place.

But Garate got himself into a big break early that couldn't be chased down because it didn't make sense to do so, and, therefore, Lance Armstrong had to watch the obscure Rabobank rider - he's not even the Dutch team's leader - steal a prize he has chased his entire career.


He'll survive, though. Although finally taking a stage on Ventoux "was in the back on my mind" when he headed out of Montelimar more than 100 miles to the northeast, the goal that was on the front of his mind would be met. Come hell or a gale blowing in his face on the barren south flank of Provence's towering "Windy Mountain," the seven-time Tour champion wasn't going to let a podium finish in Paris slip from his grasp.

A safe, solid ride almost a mile into the bright, blue sky cost Armstrong three seconds to the yellow jersey winner, Alberto Contador, and the runner-up Andy Schleck, but he'll still have his place in the sun on the Champs Elysees today. Almost 38, he'll be standing next to the 26-year-old Spaniard Contador and 24-year-old Schleck, Luxembourg's biggest sports star.

Today: The Tour finishes with a largely ceremonial 102-mile trek from Montereau-Fault-Yonne to the Champs-Elysees in Paris.