Spanish cyclist Alberto Contador won his second Tour de France in three years in 2009. He is regarded as the best climbing specialist and stage racer in the world.
After his victories in the 2007 and 2009 Tour de France, the 2008 Giro d’Italia and the 2008 Vuelta a Espana, he is the fifth racer in history, and the first Spaniard, to win all three Grand Tours of road cycling.
In the 2009 Tour de France, Contador won Stage 15 by more than a minute from his closest rivals to take the yellow jersey. He extended his lead after finishing second in a breakaway on Stage 17, and the next day won the second time trial to increase the gap to more than four minutes, an advantage he never lost. He beat his Astana team-mate Lance Armstrong, who had returned to cycling after four years, into third place.
