Eventually, the teams all reached Paris together, and the Astana Team lined up at the front to introduce their Champion Alberto Contador to the huge crowds. All had reached the Capital without incidents – except for Schleck having gear problems and requiring a quick change of bike – and the climax was an 8 lap race around the Champs-Elysees. Rather unluckily, right at the beginning of the real action, Hincapie (BMC) got a puncture and needed a wheel change, and a serious turn of pace to fight his way back into the fold.

None of the sprint teams bothered to try and gain points during the two intermediate sprints, with the current Green Jersey watching the progress of Hushovd and Cavendish very closely. As it turned out, as breakaway group attacked and neutralised any intent the chasersfor Green might have had – which suited Petacchi just fine.

As the kilometers counted down, a more serious group of escapees formed, consisting of eleven riders: Casar (FDJ), Hondo (LAM), Knees (MRM), Kroon (BMC), Martin (HTC), Pauriol (COF), Perez Arrieta (FOT), Perez Lezaun (EUS), Riblon (ALM), Roux (FDJ) and Sorensen (SAX). Together they chiseled out a maximum lead of 25 seconds, but kept the peloton at bay effectively for a worrying length of time, threatening to ruin the day for the sprinters. At one point there was news that Cavendish had radioed his team car to get them to pull Martin back out of the leading group to help him close the gap.

Lampre were happy to sit on things as their man Petacchi was safe in the Green Jersey if no sprint happened and the breakaway escaped successfully. So it was up to HTC-Columbia to do the lion’s share of the work chasing down the leaders. Team Sky and Katusha also chipped in with useful contributions upping the pace of the chasers, and they began to make rapid progress. As they began the last lap of the Champs-Elysees, the gap fell away rapidly to zero and the field became grupo compacto, a single peloton once more.

Now it was time for the sprinters to ply their trade, and Sky began to lead out with a trio of riders from 1500 meters out. Other teams began to pile on the pressure, as first Lampre and then Cervelo Test Team bringing lead out teams to the fore. Hushovd was in a great position to sprint at the last corner. He hesitated and sat on the wheel of his team mate, watching Petacchi zoom past him on the left. Hushovd then reacted, ducking out from behind his lead out man and accelerating. As they charged for the line, the Manx Missile, Mark Cavendish burnt past them both with a burst of speed that killed off Hushovd, who subsequently came in seventh. Cavendish achieved his goal of winning five stages, and repeating last year’s Paris stage win, and although gaining maximum points could only climb to second place in the Points Classification for the Green Jersey. It would have needed Petacchi to come in sixth or worse for Cav to grab the Green at the death of the Tour.

So sadly, that concludes the action on the Tour de France for another year, and here is today’s result along with the final General Classification Standings, which did not change from yesterday:

So it’s been one of the most exciting Tours for years, and the competition seems to be set for future years now with a healthy rivalry between Contador and Schleck. There are still a few “what ifs” from this year’s race, which of course it is too late to change. What if Contador had hung on and let Schleck fix his technical difficulty in the Pyrenees? That 39 seconds lost back then is the same as the winning margin that Contador built up by the end! Then there is the Green Jersey competition; back in Stage 4, when Cavendish realised he wouldn’t win the stage, he sat up, and rolled in in twelfth place, instead of hammering it to the line for the points. This might have made all the difference today. But it is what it is, and that’s the end of the competition. The winners for 2010 are:

General Classification Winner – Yellow
Alberto Contador – Astana

Points Classification Winner – Green
Alessandro Petacchi – Lampre

King of the Mountains Classification Winner – Polka Dot
Anthony Charteau – BBOX Bouygues Telecom

Young Rider Classification Winner – White
Andy Schleck – Saxo Bank

(Photo of Alberto Contador by Haggisnl. Reproduced under Creative Commons licence.)

On another hot day in the Pyrenees, nobody was able to get away from the peloton despite constant attacks right from the off. After 25 km Astana had a go at breaking free but only managed a gap of 10 seconds before Saxo Bank reeled eventually reeled them back in. Sprints off the front were allowed for the riders desperate to add to their points tallies, with both Green Jersey combatants Hushovd and Petacchi topping up at the summit of the first climb. However, the main group would not entertain anything but brief bursts of speed, and kept all escapes on a piece of elastic, dragging them all back in in short shrift. Finally, just before reaching the 100 km point, a bunch of seven managed to launch themselves off the front and escape, soon after getting joined by another three and they steadily built up a lead. The ten leaders were: Ballan (BMC), Ivanov (KAT), Mondory (ALM), Perez Arrieta (FOT), Reda (QST), Roberts (MRM), Turgot (BTL), Vandborg (LIQ), Van Summeren (GRM) and Voeckler (BTL).

The second climb saw the stage leaders 4 mins 30 ahead at the foot, extending to over 7 minutes by the summit, with the chasing peloton led by O’Grady (SAX), McEwen (KAT) and Gutierrez (GCE). Saxo Bank led the main group over the third climb, and the maximum gap attained by the leaders was 10 mins 45.

At the beginning of the ascent of the monstrous Port de Bales there was a minor crash involving Geslin (FDJ), Lancaster (CTT) and Mayoz (FOT); for a moment the Footon-Servetto rider looked to be badly hurt, lying on the ground and holding his right hip, but after a change of bike was able to continue. By the foot of the Port de Bales O’Grady had already lifted the pace and the peloton were beginning to claw back time on the escapees.

(Photo of Thomas Voeckler by Jesus Roncero. Reproduced under Creative Commons licence.)

As the leaders mounted the HC climbs and the pace notched up, riders began popping out of the back of the group and this prompted French National Champion Thomas Voeckler to flick the turbo button and attempt an audacious escape from the others. This turned out to be a perfectly timed attack which left his fellow leaders eating his dust. He got free and by the summit was on his own and began the terrifying descent. He rode well and despite a near disaster when he nearly lost control of his back wheel on a small chicane section, proudly took the stage home for France; the fifth Frenchman to win a stage this year, and on the centenary day of the inclusion of the Pyrenees stages in the Tour. Good for him!

However, this magnificent achievement became a mere sideshow to what was unfolding behind him. Team Saxo Bank had fought hard all day, and burnt out all of their front riders pacing Schleck up the Port de Bales, before 3 km away from the summit, he noticed that his arch rival Contador was snoozing (looking over his wrong shoulder for Schleck who was tailing him at that point). Schleck made his move and accelerated away up the challenging finale of the last climb. Contador kicked to try and get back into contention, and appeared to be struggling. Then disaster for Schleck, off his saddle and pumping the pedals and his chain flew off stopping him dead. Contador was right behind and decided to take advantage of the dire misfortune, hotly pursued by Samuel Sanchez and Menchov, seeing their chance to grab some time back from Schleck.

Sanchez and Menchov are both great descenders and took Contador with them as they flew, with Schleck having lost over 30 seconds fixing his bike – and without any team members in support – valiantly chasing to make up time. He scythed through the field as if they were all out on a leisurely Sunday afternoon jaunt, but stood no chance catching up to the descent experts who were all tearing down the mountain to muscle Schleck down the Yellow Jersey rankings. By the time Schleck reached the finishing line, Contador had been home for 39 seconds, having cancelled out the Luxembourger’s 31 second pre-stage advantage, and gained both an 8 second lead of his own plus the coveted Yellow Jersey. Schleck was not best pleased as one of the unwritten rules of Tour de France racing is that the other contenders shouldn’t take advantage of mechanical failures, but what happened happened and cannot be undone. Contador claimed afterwards he didn’t know of Schleck’s chain problem.

So in a day that could so easily have seen Schleck finally break down Contador and add some extra time advantage before the time trial later in the week, we were instead treated to the shock of the Tour, which may have sealed Contador’s third overall Tour de France victory. How narrow the margins separating success from failure!

After Stage 15, the state of play looks like this:

That odd result today rather puts a cat amongst the pigeons in the General Classification, and will leave all sorts of questions about “fair play” in the Tour, at least for the remainder of this year’s competition. Contador, fair play or not, dissolved away Schleck’s 31 second lead, relieving him of the Yellow Jersey for tomorrow. Schleck has to content himself with the Young rider’s White Jersey. The Green Jersey remains with Petacchi for another day, and Charteau retains the Polka Dot Jersey as the current King of the Mountains.

Tomorrow takes the Tour from Bagnères-de-Luchon to Pau, before the second rest day of this year’s campaign. The Tour is now at boiling point, and if Andy Schleck is going to get that Yellow Jersey back he simply has to make a concerted move in the mountains of Stage 16, where the riders must grind their way up two category 1 climbs and two HC climbs. It is now or never for Schleck.