Alberto Contador destroys the field

Race leader Alberto Contador of Astana came second in yesterday's four-ascent Stage 17 between Bourg Saint-Maurice to Le Grand Bornand, breaking up the top riders with an attack on the final climb that cemented his place at the head of the Tour.

The 169.5km leg was won by Saxo Bank's Frank Schleck, with his younger brother and teammate third behind Contador, after the trio opened up a gap on the 10 per cent gradient Col de Rommes that left Lance Armstrong and Bradley Wiggins behind.

The Schleck brothers moved into second and thrid place overall, displacing Armstrong and Wiggins, but Contador was criticised by his own team manager Johan Bruyneel for ignoring team orders, saying: "We could have been first, second and third in the general classification tonight" if the Spaniard had not shaken off his team members.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
Richard Williams, the Guardian: "The Tour had never been up the Col de Rommes before, perhaps because none of the officials who scout the race route had noticed it. Reached from a side road leading out of the small and undistinguished town of Cluses, it stands in the shadow of the Col de la Colombiere, an ascent that had featured on 17 previous occasions since 1960. But after a debut in which the leading contenders went punch for punch, now it has a little place in history. No more than 8.5km long, it rises through wooded hills, twisting as it goes. At times the view opens out so riders virtually clinging to a cliff face can look out, if their minds are not on other things, at a wonderful vista across the Arve valley. Just the place, as the 2009 Tour moved towards its climax this weekend, for the attack mounted by the Schlecks, who took Contador and Kloden with them but quickly left the rest behind."

Brendan Gallagher, Daily Telegraph: "A savage afternoon in the Alps - easily the 2009 Tour's toughest - took no prisoners and left no excuses. Nobody escaped the pain, but we now know the true batting order on this Tour. The top riders deliberately made it as tough as possible to shed those they considered interlopers. Somehow Contador kept with the talented Schleck brothers on the Colombière - the final climb of an epic day - to consolidate his position as race leader. Only an injury, a crash or a catastrophic solo time-trial in Annecy today can now deny him. All three have happened on Tours before but somehow you fancy Contador is home and dry."

Jeremy Whittle, the Times: "The high-flying Bradley Wiggins came down to earth in the Tour de France yesterday as the steep climbs of the Alps finally took their toll on the Olympic gold medal-winner. The Londoner’s hopes of a top-three finish in Paris on Sunday appeared to slip from his grasp on the steep slopes of the Col de Romme. With the individual time-trial in Annecy to come today, the 29-year-old is sixth overall, a minute and a half behind Frank Schleck, of Luxembourg, winner of yesterday’s multimountain pass stage to Le Grand-Bornand. Today’s 40.5-kilometre 'race of truth' is likely to suit the Briton better than the five riders ahead of him, but as has been the case since the Pyrenees, Alberto Contador, the overall leader, remains out of reach." ·