It was an unusual sight to see Lance Armstrong come off second best at the Tour de France. In fact, no one who has ever seen the competition for the last seven years when the American was in it, can probably remember a moment when he didnât hold the yellow jersey.
But as fate has it, times change and so does the battle at the top for the most prestigious cycle race in the world. At the end of the 15th stage of the competition, it wasnât Lance Armstrong, but his teammate and rival at one time, Alberto Contador, who held the yellow jersey. 
And it wasnât a scrappy lead that the Spaniard held at the top.
Contador was absolutely unstoppable in the mountains, previously the domain of Armstrong, who could only manage a lowly 9th spot compared to the standards he had previously set in the competition. Contador was heaped praises by the 7-time Tour de France champion who said,âIt will be hard. A day like this really shows whoâs the best, and I wasnât on par with what is required to win the Tour. Thats the reality; thatâs not devastating news or anything.â
He added, âI gave it everything that I had, and I wasnât the best.â
Contador had last gotten his hands on the yellow jersey in 2007, when he won the competition but with his performance in the Alps, the Spaniard clearly staked his claim on the trophy. Contador took charge of the situation as the riders headed for the 128.9 mile journey from Pontarlier in France, to Verbier, a ski resort in Switzerland. 
In a race where the flat stages donât offer much to the riders in terms of opportunities to rise in the standings, the mountains were a pleasant sight as the riders would begin to create advantages and make a difference. Armstrong, though he finished 9th, moved up the standings from fourth to second place overall, 1 minute 37 seconds behind Contador.
Armstrong is now looking to support Contadorâs quest for the title as he sees his chance of an 8th title fading away. That put an end to the speculation of whether Armstrong or Contador would lead team Astana in this yearâs tour.
The 15th stage began with 10 riders breaking away to set the pace for the peloton. A 4 minute 40 second gap, at the 78 mile mark, was soon being closed up by the trailing herd and the Astana team would soon have to hold off attacks by the Danish Saxo Bank team. Contador was up to the task and held off every attack to maintain his lead and then, with the final ascent for 5.5 miles up to Verbier in front of him, the Spaniard launched his own attack.
Contador told the media, âLance Armstrong was my idol, but dropping him today wasnât important â he was just like any other rider. Itâs an honor for me to have him working for me.â
Sunday began, for Contador, at third place overall, 6 seconds behind yellow jersey holder Rinaldo Nocentini. âThe differences now are pretty big, and the teamâs bet should now be me, no?â Contador said. âIâm sure my teammates are going to put in great work to back me up just like they did today.â
Like a true teammate, Armstrong said that his loyalties were in place and all his efforts would be to help the Spaniard take the win. âThatâs not going to happen,â he said. âThereâs been a lot of drama between Alberto and me⊠but at the end of the day we sit as a team,â said Armstrong when asked whether Contadorâs claims to be the leader of the team would affect the Americanâs performance and support.
Mondayâs rest day comes as a big relief after a grueling ride and before the teams head out to the other two stages in the Alps.
Armstrong, for the moment, seems to be happy to stay in second and support Contador, âHey, (if) we ride into Paris with the yellow jersey on the team, Iâm cool with that,â said Armstrong. âI got seven of âem at home.â