Tour de France: Alberto Contador wins stage 14
{{date|July 22, 2007}}
__NOTOC__
{{Tour de France 2007}}
{{missing image|File:060405 contador.jpg|thumb|left|Alberto Contador climbing during the [[w:2006 Vuelta al País Vasco|2006 Vuelta al País Vasco]].}}
{{w|Alberto Contador}} of [[Spain]] has won stage 14 of the {{w|2007 Tour de France}}. {{w|Michael Rasmussen}} of [[Denmark]] came in second and extended his overall lead by 2' 04' <!-- see note on collaboration page --> over {{w|Cadel Evans}} of [[Australia]]. Contador moves into second ahead of Evans and 2' 23" behind Rasmussen.

Contador and Rasmussen had an animated discussion about how to share the workload up the final climb. Contador was happy to sit behind the {{w|yellow jersey}}-wearing Rasmussen, and pass him in the final sprint for the finish-line. The Dane had hoped for more help in setting the pace and extending his overall lead.

The winner of yesterday's time trial, {{w|Alexandre Vinokourov}}, did not have a good day. {{w|Andreas Klöden}} will likely now be the leader for {{w|Astana Team}}.
[[File:Tour 2007 - 14.PNG|thumb|left|240px|Stage 14 profile]]
This stage took the race into the {{w|Pyrenees}}. This stage starts with a category 2 climb out of {{w|Mazamet}} and then follows a relatively calm route via {{w|Carcassonne}}, {{w|Limoux}} and {{w|Quillan}} before taking on the Port de Pailhères (17 km at 7.2%) and a very difficult finish at {{w|Plateau-de-Beille}} (16 km at 7.9%).

Tomorrow's 196 km stage should be one of the major stages of the Tour, with no fewer than five major mountain passes - including the {{w|Col de Port}}, the {{w|Col de Portet d'Aspet}} (5.7 km climb at 6.9%), the {{w|Col de Menté}} (7.0 km climb at 8.1%), the {{w|Port de Balès}} (19.5 km at 6.2%), (the first time this climb has featured in the Tour), and finally the {{w|Col de Peyresourde}} (9.7 km climb at 7.8%) with a downhill finish in {{w|Loudenvielle}}. This exhausting stage will be followed by a day of rest.

==Post-race statements==
{{CQuote|This was a really important stage today but there are still three very important stages to come and I have to be good in each one of them if I want to win the Tour de France. I could yet have a bad day in the final and the overall champion of the race cannot afford to falter at any time. I’m aware that it’s possible for me to have a bad day, but that can happen to Rasmussen too. At the moment, however, he’s the leader and he continues to demonstrate that he’s really strong. 
Today I have made time gains on Cadel Evans. Now I have to attack Rasmussen and I will try to do just that. My team decided to take its responsibility just like what Saunier Duval tried to do [in the lead-up to the first mountain pass] but it didn’t work out for them. We sent Hincapie and Popovych to the front leading to the final climb to take charge and then I chose the moment to attack when my legs were good|Alberto Cantador, Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team}}
{{CQuote|That is probably the most difficult climb and stage finish of the entire race. The Tour has been up here a few times before and the likes of Pantani and Armstrong have won here so it would have been nice to put my name to that list but I didn’t succeed in that but it was a good victory for Alberto. I’m still happy, however, with the outcome of today. 
My team was riding very strongly today, that’s for sure. I was trying to hold them back a little bit because we still have more than 400 kilometers of riding in the Pyrenees ahead of us and the battle is far from over. I didn’t want them to ride too hard but it was difficult to hold them back today. 
I got to a point where I realized, ‘Okay, I might not win the stage but I will be able to thin out the field of rivals quite significantly.’ So I worked all the way to the line and, obviously, Contador had the better position for the sprint. But it’s not over with you, there’s a long way to go and, with the time trial on the final Saturday, I think we need to accept that a lot can change. Anyone within six or seven minutes of me can win at this point|Michael Rasmussen, Rabobank}}

==Stage 14 results==

{| class="wikitable"
!Rank!!Rider!!Team!!Time
|-bgcolor=lightblue
|'''1'''
|'''[[w:Alberto Contador|Alberto Contador]]'''
|'''[[w:Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team|Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team]]'''
|align=right|    '''5h 25'48"'''
|-bgcolor=yellow
|2
|[[w:Michael Rasmussen|Michael Rasmussen]]
|[[w:Rabobank (cycling)|Rabobank]]
|align=right| s.t."
|-
|3 
|[[w:Mauricio Soler|Mauricio Soler]]
|[[w:Barloworld|Barloworld]]
|align=right| +37"
|-
|4 
|[[w:Levi Leipheimer|Levi Leipheimer]]
|[[w:Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team|Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team]]
|align=right| +40"
|-
|5
|[[w:Carlos Sastre|Carlos Sastre]]
|[[w:Team CSC|Team CSC]]
|align=right| +53"
|-
|6
|[[w:Andreas Klöden|Andreas Klöden]]
|[[w:Astana Team|Astana Team]]
|align=right| +1'52"
|-
|7 
|[[w:Cadel Evans|Cadel Evans]]
|[[w:Predictor-Lotto|Predictor-Lotto]]
|align=right| s.t."
|-
|8
|[[w:Antonio Colom|Antonio Colom]]
|[[w:Astana Team|Astana Team]]
|align=right| +2'23"
|- 
|9
|[[w:Andrey Kashechkin|Andrey Kashechkin]]
|[[w:Astana Team|Astana Team]]
|align=right| s.t."
|-
|10 
|[[w:Yaroslav Popovych|Yaroslav Popovych]]
|[[w:Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team|Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team]]
|align=right| +3'06"
|-

|}

==[[w:Yellow jersey|General classification]] after stage 14==

{| class="wikitable"
!Rank!!Rider!!Team!!Time
|- bgcolor=yellow
|'''1'''
|'''[[w:Michael Rasmussen|Michael Rasmussen]]'''
|'''[[w:Rabobank (cycling)|Rabobank]]'''
|align=right|    '''64h 12' 15"'''
|-bgcolor=lightblue
|2
|[[w:Alberto Contador|Alberto Contador]]
|[[w:Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team|Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team]]
|align=right| +2' 23"
|- 
|3
|[[w:Cadel Evans|Cadel Evans]]
|[[w:Predictor-Lotto|Predictor-Lotto]]
|align=right| +3' 04"
|-
|4
|[[w:Levi Leipheimer|Levi Leipheimer]]
|[[w:Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team|Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team]]
|align=right| +4' 29"
|- 
|5 
|[[w:Andreas Klöden|Andreas Klöden]]
|[[w:Astana Team|Astana Team]]
|align=right| +4' 38"
|-
|6
|[[w:Carlos Sastre|Carlos Sastre]]
|[[w:Team CSC|Team CSC]]
|align=right| +5' 50"
|-
|7
|[[w:Andrey Kashechkin|Andrey Kashechkin]]
|[[w:Astana Team|Astana Team]]
|align=right| +6' 58"
|- 
|8 
|[[w:Mikel Astarloza|Mikel Astarloza]]
|[[w:Euskaltel-Euskadi|Euskaltel-Euskadi]]
|align=right| +8' 25"
|-
|9 
|[[w:Alejandro Valverde|Alejandro Valverde]]
|[[w:Caisse d'Epargne|Caisse d'Epargne]]
|align=right| +9' 45"
|- 
|10 
|[[w:Yaroslav Popovych|Yaroslav Popovych]]
|[[w:Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team|Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team]]
|align=right| +10' 55"
|}

==Sources==
*{{source
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/cycling/6910916.stm
|title=Contador climbs into contention
|author=
|pub=BBC Sport
|date=July 22, 2007
}}
*{{source
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/cycling/6910574.stm
|title=Stage fourteen - as it happened
|author=Charlie Henderson
|pub=BBC Sport
|date=July 22, 2007
}}
*{{source
|url=http://www.letour.fr/2007/TDF/LIVE/us/1400/index.html
|title=stage 14 - Mazamet - Plateau-de-Beille 197 km
|author=
|pub=Tour de France
|date=July 22, 2007
}}
*{{source
|url=http://www.letour.fr/2007/TDF/LIVE/us/1400/journal_etape.html
|title=Key moments
|author=
|pub=Tour de France
|date=July 22, 2007
}}
{{Publish}}
{{Archived}}
[[Category:Sports]]
[[Category:Cycling]]
[[Category:2007 Tour de France]]
[[Category:Europe]]
[[Category:France]]
[[Category:Carcassonne]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alberto Contador wins stage 14}}
[[pl:2007-07-22: Alberto Contador wygrał 14. etap Tour de France 2007]]
__NOTOC__


2007 Tour de France. Cadel Evans of Australia. Contador moves into second ahead of Evans and 2' 23" behind Rasmussen.

Contador and Rasmussen had an animated discussion about how to share the workload up the final climb. Contador was happy to sit behind the -wearing Rasmussen, and pass him in the final sprint for the finish-line. The Dane had hoped for more help in setting the pace and extending his overall lead.

The winner of yesterday's time trial, Andreas Klöden will likely now be the leader for .
Stage 14 profile
This stage took the race into the Mazamet and then follows a relatively calm route via Limoux and Plateau-de-Beille (16 km at 7.9%).

Tomorrow's 196 km stage should be one of the major stages of the Tour, with no fewer than five major mountain passes - including the Col de Portet d'Aspet (5.7 km climb at 6.9%), the Port de Balès (19.5 km at 6.2%), (the first time this climb has featured in the Tour), and finally the Loudenvielle. This exhausting stage will be followed by a day of rest.


pl:2007-07-22: Alberto Contador wygrał 14. etap Tour de France 2007
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