07.22 - Tour de France: Stage 17

Remi Pauriol and Edvald Boasson Hagen lead an escape away after a few kilometres...

The escape starts the first ascent with an advantage over four minutes - Kristian Koren and Alexandre Kolobnev lead the way...

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Ignatas Konovalovas is trying to tow Carlos Sastre across the growing gap - they are three minutes ahead of the peloton...

Astana is on display at the head of the peloton, led by Benjamin Noval...

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Sastre climbs the Col de la Marie-Blanc two-minutes behind the escape and four minutes ahead of the peloton...

Alexandre Vinokourov seems to be guarding both Schleck and Contador on the Marie-Blanque

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Koren is drawing the escape towards the Col du Soulor with an eight minute advantage over the peloton...

Sastre is stuck in no-man's land on the Soulor - four minutes from both peloton and escape..!

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Paolo Tiralongo is the man leading the peloton...

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The peloton is still about 70-strong halfway up the Soulor...

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There are two kinds of animals on the Col du Soulor today...

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Saxo Bank has taken up the chasing on the valley leading to the Col du Tourmalet - the gap is about two minutes as the climb begins...

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Kolobnev has gone away alone as the real climbing begins...

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Schleck has attacked, taking Contador with him - Sammy Sanchez cannot keep pace...

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Schleck and Contador have passed Kolobnev with about eight-kilometres to go...

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Robert Gesink leads a chase group containing Sanchez and Menchov, all of them in contention for a top ten G.C placing...

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Hesjedal and Horner are in this group...

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Nicholas Roche is not far behind, with Cunego...

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Lance Armstrong is climbing the Tourmalet alone - the last mountain in his last-ever Tour...

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Half-naked fans are cheering on Schleck and Contador in the last few kilometres...

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Contador makes an attack - for TV, for himself , or just for show..?

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In perfect harmony - Schleck and Contador seem to have drawn a truce in the last kilometre...

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For Andy Schleck the stage, for Contador the Yellow Jersey - with three stages to go...

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