Contador extends Tour lead with stunning time trial win

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Spain's Alberto Contador further secured his win in the 2009 Tour de France with a win in the 40.5-kilometre time trial in Annecy today, besting two-time world and Olympic champion Fabian Cancellara.

"I am really surprised by the time differences," said Contador in the post-stage press conference. "I took it easy in the final two kilometres yesterday with my mind already on today's time trial. That was an important factor in today's win."

The performance was one of several remarkable rides by the slim Spaniard, and not the first to raise eyebrows, most notably by three-time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond.

LeMond, who writes an opinion piece in France's Le Monde newspaper during the Tour, questioned Contador's performance on the final climb to Verbier on stage 15, which the Spaniard won ahead of Andy Schleck by 43 seconds and took over the race lead. The climb came at the end of a 207.5-kilometre stage that also held five other categorised climbs.