Tour de France: Schleck wins stage 18

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Tour de France: Schleck wins stage 18

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Frenchman Thomas Voeckler retains the yellow jersey but his lead from Schleck is just 15 seconds.

22 July,2011 06:28 am

Andy Schleck sprung into contention in the Tour de France in spectacular fashion when a bold attack earned him an impressive win in the 18th stage.The Luxembourger, runner-up in the last two editions of the Tour, jumped from the pack in the penultimate climb of the stage, a 200.5-km effort from Pinerolo, Italy.Schleck took the days laurels ahead of his brother Frank, who finished 2:07 behind.Australian Cadel Evans finished third, eight seconds further back, as he managed to salvage his chances thanks to a terrific effort in the final ascent that dealt a fatal blow to Spains three-time champion Alberto Contador.Frances Thomas Voeckler retained the yellow jersey as he ended the stage in fifth place and leads Andy Schleck by 15 seconds with two competitive stages left.