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Contador pressures rivals

For the second day in a row, Spaniard Alberto Contador, 24, caused mayhem on the steep gradients of the Pyrenees that have been gradually whittling down the contenders for the yellow jersey.

And Contador looks like he could produce more of the same when he gets Denmark's Michael Rasmussen and Australia's Cadel Evans into the ring for the final day of climbing on the Tour de France today.

After Monday's 15th stage, Rasmussen maintained his 2 minute 23 second lead on the precocious Discovery Channel climber and increased his lead on a tiring Evans.

However, the Dane was forced to work hard to keep his yellow jersey.

"I think he [Contador] got an advantage of getting behind [the slipstream of] a motor bike, but still, he probably has the best acceleration of anybody in the peloton," Rasmussen said.

"I'm happy I managed to stay with him," he said.

Also for the second day in a row, Predictor-Lotto climber Evans was put through the mill, fighting valiantly to follow every acceleration that his rivals dished out.

But late on the 7.9km climb to the top of the Col de Peyresourde, the fifth climb of the day and one following the 19.2km ascent over the Port de Bales, Contador was sublime.

He attacked four times and four times Rasmussen fought back.

A tiring Evans failed to respond to the first attack from the Spaniard and ended up trying to limit the damage.

"Unfortunately I had to race conservatively. It's not what I wanted to do, but I was completely on my own," said Evans, who finished 6:27 behind stage winner Alexandre Vinokourov and just less than a minute behind his main rivals.
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