Second chance for Tour de France hopefuls to pull away from rivals in daunting Pyrenees

Tour de France hopefuls set for Day 2 in mountains

AX-3 DOMAINES, France — Tour de France leader Andy Schleck and defending champion Alberto Contador called a truce on the race’s first day in the Pyrenees, but each declared that Monday’s second day of mountain racing would be very different.

Schleck, hoping to become the first rider from Luxembourg to win the Tour since Charly Gaul in 1958, has a 31-second lead on his rival. But Schleck knows he’ll need to expand on that in the Pyrenees or he’ll likely lose the leader’s yellow jersey to the Spaniard in the time-trial on Saturday’s penultimate day.

Monday’s 15th stage is a 116.5-mile trek from Pamiers to Bagneres-de-Luchon, over the major climb of Port de Bales before descending to finish on the flat.

Schleck and Contador have been eyeing each other nervously, and both said that they decided not to try to get ahead of the other during the first mountain stage Sunday, preferring to stick together and ensure they didn’t lose much time to their other rivals.

“I couldn’t pass him, I had to stay in his wheel. I have often enough made the mistake where he attacked and dropped me because I passed him. I learn from my mistakes,” Schleck said. “But it will be a totally different scenario tomorrow.”

“I feel really good, and if he wants to get me tomorrow, he has to be really good.”

The two riders sitting in third and fourth, Russian Denis Menchov and Spaniard Carlos Sastre, did pick up a few seconds on the two men ahead of them, but they weren’t fast enough to catch the hero of the day, Frenchman Christophe Riblon.

Riblon broke away with a pack soon after the start of the race and watched the riders with him fall back one by one. By the time he reached the top of the main climb of the day — the Col de Pailheres — he was alone. He held on for a well-deserved victory at the top of another climb, up to the ski resort of Ax-3 Domaines.

“I’ve been a professional for 5½ years and I’ve been waiting for this for 5½ years,” said a jubilant Riblon, who combines road cycling with a career on the track.

He was the fourth Frenchman to win a stage at this year’s Tour — after two by Sylvain Chavanel and one from Sandy Casar — and it delighted the crowd, which in past years has struggled to find reason to celebrate.

“The most incredible thing was the public at the side of the road who told me it was good, I was going to win. But I refused to believe I had won before the last kilometer,” said Riblon.

Seven-time Tour champion Lance Armstrong finished more than 15 minutes behind Riblon. He has acknowledged that he has no chance of victory, but has hinted that he might be planning a glorious final stage win between now and the end of the race on Sunday in Paris.

Speaking after Sunday’s stage, he said he would like a stage victory, but only if he earns it.

“Back in our heyday, we didn’t give anything away, so I don’t want anybody to say: ‘Hey, let’s let the old man have one.’ That’s not what this event is about,” he said.

“I got 25 of ‘em — I don’t need anybody handing me one just ’cause they feel sorry for me.”

Associated Press writer Jamey Keaten contributed to this report.