Astarloza Takes Tour Stage

Great news!

Euskaltel Euskadi has finally taken a stage in this year's edition of the Tour de France. Here you have it via Yahoo News:

Astarloza tames mountains to win stage

Astarloza wins with late surge. Contador stays in yellow ahead of Armstrong and Wiggins. Voigt crashes heavily, forced out of tour

Julien Pretot

BOURG ST MAURICE, France, July 21 (Reuters) - Spain’s Mikel Astarloza used his climbing and downhill skills to win the mountainous 16th stage of the Tour de France on Tuesday as the leading contenders unsuccessfully tested each other out.

The Basque rider, 29, surged in the last two kilometres of the 159-km trek to Bourg St Maurice to give his Euskaltel team their first Tour stage victory since 2003.

“I’m a good climber, I can keep a good pace on the flat, but I’m not a sprinter. My only chance was to attack from far and I’m delighted it worked,” Astarloza told reporters.

Astarloza, who finished ninth overall in 2007, climbed to 11th place in the general classification.

Frenchman Sandy Casar had to be content with his sixth second place in a Tour stage, ahead of compatriot Pierrick Fedrigo, winner of the ninth stage in Tarbes.

Astarloza and the two Frenchmen were part of a break which shaped up in the two big climbs of the day, the Grand St Bernard and Petit St Bernard, crossing over to France from Switzerland and Italy.

Spaniard Alberto Contador retained his leader’s yellow jersey one minute 37 seconds ahead of team mate Lance Armstrong with Briton Bradley Wiggins third, 1:46 behind.

The leading contenders seemed content to neutralise each other until six kilometres from the top of the Col du Petit St Bernard when Andy Schleck suddenly raised the tempo.

Great job Euskaltel Euskadi!

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