Riblon stellar in Ax-3 Domaines

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The Pyrenees were always billed as the main battleground of this year's Tour de France, and although Sunday's first of four stages in this mountain range decided nothing, it did confirm what many suspected: that the battle for the yellow jersey is between two riders, Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) and Alberto Contador (Astana).

The impression of this pair riding their own race, almost oblivious to everyone else, was underlined on the final climb to the finish in Ax-3 Domaines, at the end of a day that had seen Contador's Astana team ride as though it was their man, rather than Schelck, in the yellow jersey.

As Contador and Schleck cancelled each other out, it was a day that really belonged to Christophe Riblon (AG2R-La Mondiale), with the Frenchman claiming the host country's fourth stage win of this Tour after an incredible solo effort, made more incredible by his confession afterwards that he had almost abandoned the Tour the previous day.

Riblon's team director, Vincent Lavenu, claimed after the stage that his rider had been so exhausted that he was on the brink of quitting. "But they gave me a pep talk," said Riblon of his team, "and I felt I had to prove myself today. But I wouldn't have bet a single Euro on my chances of winning today."

As Riblon forged on ahead, having attacked from the day's big break, Schleck and Contador were so preoccupied with each other that they didn't seem to notice - or care - when Denis Menchov (Rabobank) and Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) rode away from them with 3km left.

Contador looked at Schleck. Schleck looked at Contador. And they came to a virtual halt, like two match sprinters performing a tactical track stand, using the 10% gradient rather than the banking of a velodrome.

Earlier on the climb, as they passed under the 5km banner, Contador - who had his team on the front virtually all day - sprung one of his characteristic attacks, surging up the inside of the nine-man group, but Schleck was equal to him, pouncing after his wheel, and glueing himself to it.

Schleck said later that he had decided earlier in the stage not to attack Contador, for fear of the Spaniard counter-attacking. "On a climb like that I cannot pass him," said Schleck. "I have to stay on his wheel.

"There was a little bit of mind games between us," he continued. "I made a mistake [on Friday's stage to Mende] to pass him, and he dropped me. But I learned from that."

Monday's second day in the Pyrenees, including the lengthy ascent of the Port de Bales, claimed Schleck, represents "a totally different scenario, on a totally different climb."

This one - as Schleck pointed out - ended in a truce: they finished together in the same time, 1.08 behind Riblon, and only 14 seconds behind Menchov and Sanchez. But Schleck claimed to have won the mind games.

"The situation Alberto's in now, it's not bad, but it's not great either," said Schleck. "He could not drop me today, and that gives me a lot of confidence.

"This is just a guess, but I guess he's not happy with how the stage went, because he did not gain time on me. His aim was to take yellow today, and [Alexandre] Vinokourov [Contador's Astana teammate] even announced it yesterday. It didn't work. He didn't gain a single second. I even think I was a little better than him today."

Suicide escape sees sole survivor

The 184.5km fourteenth stage tackled undulating roads until 106km, when the incline began, gently at first, but eventually culminating at the 2,001m summit of the Port de Pailhères at 155.5km .

The day's main escape saw nine men form at the front around 25km into the stage, with Riblon, interestingly, one of the last man to join them. The others were: Geraint Thomas (Sky), Dave Zabriskie (Garmin-Transitions), Benoït Vaugrenard (FDJ), Pavel Brutt (Team Katusha), Amaël Moinard (Cofidis), Jurgen Van De Walle (Quick Step), Pierre Rolland (Bbox Bouygues Telecom) and Stephane Auge (Cofidis).

None presented any kind of threat to the overall classification, and they were allowed to build a lead of almost ten minutes before Astana began to reel it in. Well before the climb of Port de Pailhères, in fact, they were applying some serious pressure, the peloton strung out in a long line.

All of which only heightened the sense of anticipation around what Contador might do on the climb, as well as giving Saxo Bank - who would normally be expected to ride at the front in defence of the yellow jersey - an unexpected day off.

On the climb, as the group in front began to fracture with their lead down to four minutes, Carlos Sastre (Cervelo) tried his luck, going clear. And up front, Riblon, Van De Walle and Moinard left behind their companions, with Riblon doing the bulk of the work, and Van De Walle bidding adieu before the half-way point.

Schleck, meanwhile, raised the blood pressure with a mid-climb dash back to his team car, giving himself an unnecessary chase back to the front, and leaving himself looking very vulnerable. When asked about that later, he shrugged it off, preferring again to talk about the "mind games" between him and Contador.

A little further up the climb of the Pailheres, he explained, Contador tried to lure him into a trap. "His whole team was surrounding him, Vinokourov also, and I could see their tactic," said Schleck. "They wanted to give me the impression that he wasn't feeling too good today.

"But with my experience I knew that wasn't the case - that it was tactics, to try and get me to attack." He didn't fall for it. Instead, he watched Contador. And Contador watched him.

Riblon, meanwhile, dropped Moinard, crossing the summit alone, and dropping down to the foot of Ax-3 Domaines, with Moinard in pursuit and almost catching him. But Riblon held him off, and went through the 10km banner with 2:46 on the Schleck group. It left him with much still to do on the 9km climb.

Others were trying, though, to bridge the gap to him, among them Damiano Cunego (Lampre), Rafael Valls Ferri (Footon-Servetto), Vasil Kiryienka (Caisse d'Epargne) - and of course Sastre, the winner at Ax-3 Domaines in 2003, who was joined by the Cunego-led chasing group.

As the brave Riblon found strength from somewhere to survive out front, and as Sastre had several gos on the climb, Vinokourov, the previous day's stage winner, fulfilled his promise to help Contador claim yellow, sitting at the front of the main group and setting a pace that saw bodies fall out the back at an astonishing rate, and all those in front - bar Riblon - gobbled up.

And while Contador watched Schleck, and Schleck watched Contador, Menchov and Sanchez sneaked away, gaining some seconds in their battle for third overall. Sanchez is currently leading that competition, 2:31 behind Schleck and 13 second ahead of Menchov.

This duo's deficit to the leading pair is not much, but, to hear Schleck talk, it might as well be hours. "I don't believe they're dangerous rivals for GC," said Schleck, confirming the general consensus: that this Tour is between two riders.

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Scott Sunderland's race analysis:

What a stage. The tactics and the closeness of this race coming into the third week are making the race so exciting. Contador is good, we knew that, but Schleck has stepped up a level and the Spaniard has given his rival a lot more respect than last year.

Finally, everyone is saying that Schleck needs at least three minutes on Contador before the final time trial. I’m not so sure he needs that much at all. Remember everyone thought that Evans had the measure of Sastre in 2008 and the Spaniard pulled out an amazing ride in the final TT. Wearing the yellow jersey can give you something extra.