Tour de France 2009: Alberto Contador wins Stage 18 time-trial ahead of Fabian Cancellara

Alberto Contador won the final time trial in the Tour de France on Thursday, and Lance Armstrong moved up one spot to third place overall.

Contador now looks all but assured of his second Tour victory after increasing his overall lead in the 18th stage, in which riders embarked one-by-one down the start ramp for the 40.5-kilometer (25.2-mile) stage in and around Annecy.

The 2007 champion finished the stage in 48 minutes, 31 seconds — beating Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland by 3 seconds. Russia's Mikhail Ignatiev was third, 15 seconds back.

"I went all out," said Contador, adding that his earpiece radio linking him with Astana team managers stopped working during the stage, and that he was worried about Cancellara's skill at time trials.

"Of course, what I especially wanted was to think about general class. A stage victory was less important," he said. "I'm very happy. I didn't expect it."

Armstrong was 15th, 1:30 behind. But he easily overcame a 30-second deficit to Frank Schleck, who began the day in third place but slipped to sixth overall after finishing 2:34 behind Contador.

Schleck and his younger brother Andy had bumped Armstrong from second place to fourth a day earlier in the last punishing Alpine stage.

Overall, Contador leads Andy Schleck by 4:11, Armstrong is 5:25 back and Britain's Bradley Wiggins is fourth, 5:36 behind. Germany's Andreas Kloeden, an Astana teammate of Contador and Armstrong, is fifth, 5:38 back. Frank Schleck is sixth, 5:59 behind.

While the stage was mostly flat, riders had to contend with the midlevel Bluffy pass climb, which snaked upward for 3.7 kilometers (2.3 miles) with magnificent vistas over the hill-ringed lake.

Several riders, including British time-trial specialist David Millar, said the course layout favored climbers because of that ascent.

"I felt like I had stopped dead in my tracks," on the climb, Millar said.

The race against the clock started under cloudy skies. The sun eventually broke through, but rain doused the course by late afternoon and left patches of water on the roads.

After four straight tough stages, riders get a relatively easier ride Friday with a 178-kilometer (110.6-mile) course from Bourgoin-Jallieu to Aubenas.

The biggest remaining race challenge is an uphill finish at Mont Ventoux on Saturday — a day before the race ends on the Champs-Elysees in Paris.

Tour de France details:

Stage 18: 40.5-kilometre (25.2-mile) individual time trial around Annecy Lake.

1. Alberto Contador (Spain, Astana) 48 minutes, 31 seconds. 2. Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland, Team Saxo Bank) 3 seconds behind. 3. Mikhail Ignatiev (Russia, Team Katusha) :15. 4. Gustav Larsson (Sweden, Team Saxo Bank) :33. 5. David Millar (Britain, Garmin-Slipstream) :41. 6. Bradley Wiggins (Britain, Garmin-Slipstream) :43. 7. Luis Leon Sanchez (Spain, Caisse d'Epargne) :44. 8. Christophe Moreau (France, Agritubel) :45. 9. Andreas Kloeden (Germany, Astana) :54. 10. David Zabriskie (United States, Garmin-Slipstream) 1:02.

Others: 21. Andy Schleck (Luxembourg, Team Saxo Bank) 1:45. 26. Vincenzo Nibali (Italy, Liquigas) 2:06. 35. Frank Schleck (Luxembourg, Team Saxo Bank) 2:34.

Overall:

1. Alberto Contador (Spain, Astana) 73:15:39. 2. Andy Schleck (Luxembourg, Team Saxo Bank) 4:11. 3. Lance Armstrong (United States, Astana) 5:25. 4. Bradley Wiggins (Britain, Garmin-Slipstream) 5:36. 5. Andreas Kloeden (Germany, Astana) 5:38. 6. Frank Schleck (Luxembourg, Team Saxo Bank) 5:59. 7. Vincenzo Nibali (Italy, Liquigas) 7:15. 8. Christian Vande Velde (United States, Garmin-Slipstream) 10:08. 9. Mikel Astarloza (Spain, Euskaltel-Euskadi) 12:38. 10. Christophe Le Mevel (France, Francaise des Jeux) 12:41.