Astana: The Comeback Is More Complete
Lance Armstrong almost ended the day with another yellow jersey. Were it not for a fraction of a second, the American would be the leader of the Tour de France.
Instead he has to be content with a stage victory – Astana’s first in the race – and the knowledge that he came oh-so close to taking the overall lead from Fabian Cancellara. Lance had to make up 40” to take the jersey off the Swiss from Saxo Bank and, at the 30.5km mark, he was 41” ahead. But by the finish, the team of Armstrong and Contador was 18” better than its nearest rival, Garmin-Slipsteam and 40” better than Cancellara’s Saxo Bank squad.
Stage 4 Top Ten Team finishers:
| No | Rider | Teams | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | - | ASTANA | 46′ 29″ | - |
| 2 | - | GARMIN - SLIPSTREAM | 46′ 47″ | + 00′ 18″ |
| 3 | - | TEAM SAXO BANK | 47′ 09″ | + 00′ 40″ |
| 4 | - | LIQUIGAS | 47′ 27″ | + 00′ 58″ |
| 5 | - | TEAM COLUMBIA - HTC | 47′ 28″ | + 00′ 59″ |
| 6 | - | TEAM KATUSHA | 47′ 52″ | + 01′ 23″ |
| 7 | - | CAISSE D’EPARGNE | 47′ 58″ | + 01′ 29″ |
| 8 | - | CERVELO TEST TEAM | 48′ 06″ | + 01′ 37″ |
| 9 | - | AG2R-LA MONDIALE | 48′ 17″ | + 01′ 48″ |
| 10 | - | EUSKALTEL - EUSKADI | 48′ 38″ | + 02′ 09″ |
Overall Classification after Stage 4:
Yellow Jersey:
| No | Rider | Teams | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fabian Cancellara | TEAM SAXO BANK | 10h 38′ 07″ | - |
| 2 | Lance Armstrong | ASTANA | 10h 38′ 07″ | + 00′ 00″ |
| 3 | Alberto Contador | ASTANA | 10h 38′ 26″ | + 00′ 19″ |
Green Jersey (Sprint):
| No | Rider | Teams | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mark Cavendish | TEAM COLUMBIA - HTC | 70 |
| 2 | Thor Hushovd | CERVELO TEST TEAM | 54 |
| 3 | Samuel Dumoulin | COFIDIS LE CREDIT EN LIGNE | 36 |
Polka Dot Jersey (King of Mountain):
| No | Rider | Teams | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jussi Veikkanen | FRANCAISE DES JEUX | 9 |
| 2 | Tony Martin | TEAM COLUMBIA - HTC | 6 |
| 3 | Koen De Kort | SKIL-SHIMANO | 6 |
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