Team Astana fans can put their spandex shorts away for another year. On July 25, their very own Alberto Contador successfully retained the Tour de France title in Paris. It was Contador's third victory in cycling's most prestigious race, scoring another positive PR boost for Kazakhstan's fledgling capital. He rode home 39 seconds ahead of his nearest rival, Saxo Bank's Andy Schleck.
But Contador’s victory was not without controversy. He snatched the lead from Schleck in stage 16 of 20 when his rival's chain slipped off. Schleck, who was leading Contador by 31 seconds, dismounted to refasten his chain. According to unwritten Tour de France etiquette, when the race leader suffers a mishap the other riders wait for him to recover before continuing. Contador flouted this convention and seized the opportunity to pedal eight seconds ahead of the stricken race leader.
"I wouldn't want to take the jersey like that," Schleck said after the race. "My stomach is full of anger and I want to take my revenge in the next days."
In his defense, Contador said, "I was attacking and I was past him before I knew what had happened."
Later Contador apologized for the manner in which he snatched the lead: "Today I managed to get on the podium, which makes me happy. The problem with that was the circumstances. Right when I attacked Andy had a mechanical on the last climb. The race was in full gear and, well, maybe I made a mistake. I'm sorry."
The incident was to prove crucial in deciding the outcome of the race, as Schleck was unable to make up the lost time over the final four stages. For many, this incident tainted Contador's victory, giving Schleck the moral high ground. The time Schleck lost to his mechanical problems was 39 seconds – which was by coincidence Contador's winning margin.
Yet the manner of the victory failed to dent the party atmosphere in the Astana camp. On the final day of the race, the Astana riders were in a relaxed mood, finding time to quaff a traditional flute of champagne en-route to the finish line.
The Tour produces a huge amount of publicity for Astana. The state asset holding company Samruk-Kazyna supports the team. The company’s head, Kayrat Kelimbetov, who is also president of the Cycling Federation of Kazakhstan, was in Paris to congratulate the victorious Astana riders.
“With the Tour de France, 30 percent of the time people talk about Astana, and that is part of the image of our country. It opens up investment opportunities for our country. People know about Astana, they know about Samruk-Kazyna,” Kelimbetov told the Wall Street Journal.
Paul Bartlett is a journalist based in Almaty.
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