Thaindian News

The elite 2009 Tour de France has finally come to an end after twenty-one difficult stages, much to the grief of the fans, and the Spaniard Alberto Contador from Astana has emerged the winner this year. This is the second time in three years that Contador has stood in the rank reserved for the winner (the last time he had won was 2007). He was decked out and resplendent in his Yellow Jersey, as he accepted the trophy meant for the winner of the coveted event.

Lance Armstrong took home the title for the third spot, a result which is quite astonishing to behold as the world is mostly accustomed in seeing him stand at the top spot, donning the coveted Yellow Jersey. Nevertheless, the 37 year old seven time Tour winner was applauded almost as much as his winning Astana teammate Contador.

The one other name that emerged glorious at the end of the Tour is the name of Mark Cavendish. At the climax of the Tour, as the riders headed towards Champs Elysees in Paris, the 24 year old Cavendish claimed his sixth Tour stage win. With 10 stage wins in just three participation at Tour events, Cavendish is now regarded to be the most successful Tour rider in Britain.

Contador’s win comes after three weeks of racing over tracks that had covered almost 2,141 miles.

He had successfully manged to beat back stiff competition from many quarters. His win includes stage wins like the two time trials and the first of the Alpine stage win. The Tour de France had started in Montereau-Fault-Yonne and came to a finish in Paris on July 26, 2009.