Landis secures maiden Tour

Ahead of Saturday"s time-trial, all eyes were on the final six riders. Spots on the podium were up for grabs, as well as the yellow jersey, making for one of the most dramatic time-trials in memory.

The stage was set for a battle royal between Phonak's Floyd Landis, Team CSC's Carlos Sastre and Caisse d'Epargne's Oscar Pereiro. Landis threw down the gauntlet to the others, flying down off the ramp and posting the fastest time at the first checkpoint.

Pereiro tried to follow suit, and for a while succeeded in keeping in touch with the Pennsylvanian. By halfway though, he looked spent and his enormous efforts to keep hold of the jersey through the Alps began to take their toll.

For all that Sastre has improved in the discipline since coming under the tutelage of Bjarne Riis, he is no time-trial specialist. The Spaniard is far more at ease in the mountain stages – the more brutal, the better – and less than 10 kilometres in, it was clear Sastre was out of the equation for the yellow jersey.

Landis meanwhile, peering over the handle-bars in his unique position on the bike, squeezed out every last drop of energy with the incentive of Lance Armstrong's crown in mind. He posted the third fastest time of the day, 1'29" ahead of Pereiro to virtually secure his maiden Tour victory.

One cannot fault the Spaniard for his application, and indeed he clocked the fourth fastest time of the day, a considerable achievement for the rider who could only achieve a modest 23rd in the first time-trial.

This year's Tour has been one enlivened by surprises, though it is almost impossible to conceive that Landis will not become only the second man this century to win cycling's showpiece event.

All the while, another battle was developing for the final place on the podium.

Perhaps sensing possible weaknesses on the part of the two Spaniards ahead of him in the general classification, Andreas Kloeden set off at a punishing pace.

After showing signs of fatigue in the past few days, the German had been discounted by many as a threat on the stage. But when he went through the midway split second-quickest, it became clear he had found his form.

Sastre on the other hand, looked uncomfortable from the start, and lost time on his rivals with each checkpoint he passed. The CSC rider was eventually unable to defend his third place from the rejuvenated Kloeden, who remarkably reeled in and passed Cadel Evans before the finish.

But it was Sergei Honchar who proved himself the undisputed King of time-trials. After blowing away the entire field by over a minute in the Tour's first contre-la-montre, the 36 year-old was at it again.

Few riders in the peloton look as ungainly and laboured as the evergreen Ukrainian on a bike, but the power he produces is unrivalled. Only Andreas Kloeden finished within one minute of Honchar, who leapt onto the podium in delight at the end.

The brightest smile of the day though belonged to Landis. After seemingly letting the Tour slip from his grasp completely on stage 16, he came roaring back just a day later to put one hand back on the yellow jersey. On Saturday, he seized it with both hands, and with a 59 second lead in the general classification, it will require a minor-miracle for anybody to take it from him again.

"I could not be happier. Me and my team gave all we had, said Landis. "It's one of the best days of my life."

Phonak team manager John Lelangue was elated with the peformance of his team-leader, though insisted he was confident ahead of the stage.

"We did not really have doubts. But we had to remain cautious after all that happened in this Tour. Floyd did an exceptional time trial having huge pressure on his shoulders coming here."

"There is one more stage so let's wait and see tomorrow night. Whatever happens tomorrow we will be drinking champagne on the Champs Elysees."