July 29, 2008	Tuesday	Rajab 25, 1429

PARIS, July 28: Carlos Sastre became the third successive Spaniard to win the Tour de France on Sunday in another major sporting triumph for his country this year.

Sastre’s victory follows triumphs for Oscar Pereiro in 2006 and Albert Contador last year. Contador’s Astana team were not invited to this year’s race because of their past doping record.

Australian Cadel Evans finished second overall, 58 seconds behind Sastre, who effectively secured victory on Saturday after resisting Evans in the decisive time-trial.

Austrian Bernhard Kohl was third, one minute and 13 seconds off the pace, also taking the polka dot jersey for the best climber.

Towards the end of the Sunday’s 21st and last stage, the peloton split and Sastre was in a group that lost seven seconds to Evans and Kohl, but the Spaniard had plenty of time in hand.

Sastre took the overall leader’s yellow jersey by winning Wednesday’s last Alpine stage atop l’Alpe d’Huez, one of the Tour’s renowned climbs.

It was a great year for Spain on the Tour, with Oscar Freire also becoming the first Spaniard to take the green jersey for the best sprinter.

Sunday’s win also belongs to CSC team manager Bjarne Riis, the Dane having decided to give the leadership to Sastre at the expense of Luxembourg brothers Frank and Andy Schleck.

Both sacrificed their chances for Sastre, whose experience on the major tours eventually paid off after 17 unsuccessful attempts on the Tour, the Spanish Vuelta and the Giro d’Italia.

The Madrid-born Sastre was the only man who dared to attack in the Alps, while Evans, who had already finished second last year, tried to limit the damage before the decisive time trial.

The Silence-Lotto rider, biding to become the first Australian to win the Tour, was proven wrong, collapsing in the solo effort against the clock.

Belgian Gert Steegmans of the Quick Step team prevailed in a bunch sprint to win the last stage on the Champs Elysees in Paris, ahead of German Gerald Ciolek and Freire.

Results of 21st and final stage:

1. Gert Steegmans (Belgium/Quick-Step) 3 hours 51 minutes 38 seconds; 2. Gerald Ciolek (Germany/Columbia) same time; 3. Oscar Freire (Spain/Rabobank); 4. Robbie McEwen (Australia/Silence-Lotto); 5. Thor Hushovd (Norway/Credit Agricole); 6. Julian Dean (New Zealand/Garmin-Chipotle); 7. Stefan Schumacher (Germany/Gerolsteiner); 8. Robert Forster (Germany/Gerolsteiner); 9. Leonardo Duque (Colombia/Cofidis); 10. Robert Hunter (South Africa/Barloworld); 11. Erik Zabel (Germany/Milram); 12. Alessandro Ballan (Italy/Lampre); 13. Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland/Team CSC); 14. Filippo Pozzato (Italy/Liquigas); 15. Alejandro Valverde (Spain/Caisse d’Epargne); 16. Geoffroy Lequatre (France/Agritubel); 17. Steven de Jongh (Netherlands/Quick-Step); 18. Marco Velo (Italy/Milram); 19. Murilo Fischer (Brazil/Liquigas); 20. Ruben Perez (Spain/Euskaltel); 21. Brett Lancaster (Australia/Milram); 22. Sebastien Rosseler (Belgium/Quick-Step); 23. Martin Elmiger (Switzerland/AG2R); 24. Cadel Evans (Australia/Silence-Lotto) +7 seconds; 25. Freddy Bichot (France/Agritubel) same time; 26. Bernhard Kohl (Austria/Gerolsteiner); 27. Yaroslav Popovych (Ukraine/Silence-Lotto); 28. Inaki Isasi (Spain/Euskaltel); 29. Arnaud Coyot (France/Caisse d’Epargne); 30. Christian Vande Velde (US/Garmin-Chipotle).

Final overall standings:

1. Carlos Sastre (Spain/Team CSC) 87 hours 52 minutes 52 seconds; 2. Cadel Evans (Australia/Silence-Lotto) +58 seconds; 3. Bernhard Kohl (Austria/Gerolsteiner) +1:13; 4. Denis Menchov (Russia/Rabobank) +2:10; 5. Christian Vande Velde (US/Garmin-Chipotle) +3:05; 6. Frank Schleck (Luxembourg/Team CSC) +4:28; 7. Samuel Sanchez (Spain/Euskaltel) +6:25; 8. Kim Kirchen (Luxembourg/Columbia) +6:55; 9. Alejandro Valverde (Spain/Caisse d’Epargne) +7:12; 10. Tadej Valjavec (Slovenia/AG2R) +9:05; 11. Vladimir Efimkin (Russia/AG2R) +9:55; 12. Andy Schleck (Luxembourg/Team CSC) +11:32; 13. Roman Kreuziger (Czech Republic/Liquigas) +12:59; 14. Sandy Casar (France/Francaise des Jeux) +19:23; 15. Amael Moinard (France/Cofidis) +23:31; 16.

Mikel Astarloza (Spain/Euskaltel) +23:40; 17. Kanstantin Sivtsov (Belarus/Columbia) +24:55; 18. Alexandre Botcharov (Russia/Credit Agricole) +27:11; 19. Dmitriy Fofonov (Kazakhstan/Credit Agricole) +28:31; 20. Vincenzo Nibali (Italy/Liquigas) +28:33; 21. Stephane Goubert (France/AG2R) +31:50; 22. Laurens ten Dam (Netherlands/Rabobank) +32:59; 23. Maxime Monfort (Belgium/Cofidis) +35:41; 24. Yaroslav Popovych (Ukraine/Silence-Lotto) +36:24; 25. Stefan Schumacher (Germany/Gerolsteiner) +37:20; 26. Sylwester Szmyd (Poland/Lampre) +44:43; 27. Marzio Bruseghin (Italy/Lampre) +45:19; 28. Cyril Dessel (France/AG2R) +46:31; 29. Christian Knees (Germany/Milram) +47:43; 30. David Arroyo (Spain/Caisse d’Epargne) +48:23.

Final sprinter standings:

1. Oscar Freire (Spain/Rabobank) 270 points; 2. Thor Hushovd (Norway/Credit Agricole) 220; 3. Erik Zabel (Germany/Milram) 217; 4. Leonardo Duque (Colombia/Cofidis) 181; 5. Kim Kirchen (Luxembourg/Columbia) 155; 6. Alejandro Valverde (Spain/Caisse d’Epargne) 136; 7. Robert Hunter (South Africa/Barloworld) 131; 8. Robbie McEwen (Australia/Silence-Lotto) 129; 9. Julian Dean (New Zealand/Garmin-Chipotle) 119; 10. Gerald Ciolek (Germany/Columbia ) 116.

Final king of the mountains standings:

1. Bernhard Kohl (Austria/Gerolsteiner) 128 points; 2. Carlos Sastre (Spain/Team CSC) 80; 3. Frank Schleck (Luxembourg/Team CSC) 80; 4. Thomas Voeckler (France/Bouygues Telecom) 65; 5. Sebastian Lang (Germany/Gerolsteiner) 62; 6. Stefan Schumacher (Germany/Gerolsteiner) 61; 7. John-Lee Augustyn (South Africa/Barloworld) 61; 8. Alejandro Valverde (Spain/Caisse d’Epargne) 58; 9. Remy Di Gregorio (France/Francaise des Jeux) 52; 10. Egoi Martinez (Spain/Euskaltel) 51.

Final youth standings:

1. Andy Schleck (Luxembourg/Team CSC) 88 hours 04 minutes 24 seconds; 2. Roman Kreuziger (Czech Republic/Liquigas) +1 minute 27 seconds; 3. Vincenzo Nibali (Italy/Liquigas) +17:01; 4. Maxime Monfort (Belgium/Cofidis) +24:09; 5. Eduardo Gonzalo (Spain/Agritubel) +1:08:34; 6. Thomas Lovkvist (Sweden/Columbia) +1:13:55; 7. John-Lee Augustyn (South Africa/Barloworld) +1:24:49; 8. Peter Velits (Slovakia/Milram) +1:38:17; 9. Remy Di Gregorio (France/Francaise des Jeux) +1:38:22; 10. Luis Leon Sanchez (Spain/Caisse d’Epargne) +1:44:07.

Final team standings:

1. Team CSC 263 hours 29 minutes 57 seconds; 2. AG2R +15 minutes 35 seconds; 3. Rabobank +1:05:26; 4. Euskaltel +1:16:26; 5. Silence-Lotto +1:17:15; 6. Caisse d’Epargne +1:20:28; 7. Columbia +1:23:00; 8. Lampre +1:26:24; 9. Gerolsteiner +1:27:40; 10. Credit Agricole +1:37:16.—Reuters