The first mountain stage of the Tour de France usually answers the question marks posed by the first week of the race and the main doubt this year is whether Alberto Contador's knee is seriously injured or not.
"The idea of going back home never crossed my mind. I'll go back home for sure, but only at the end of the Tour," the three-times Tour champion said when it was suggested he might quit because of the pain.
Even though the Spaniard dismissed the injury, his main rivals were left wondering if he really is struggling and his comments were just part of the psychological warfare raging before they head into the Pyrenees for Thursday's 12th stage.
"I didn't scout the cycling sites but I read the headlines and yes I know (about Contador's knee)," said Australian Cadel Evans, singled out by most riders as the most in-form contender before the three-day mountain stretch.
"Certainly if he has a knee problem it can be painful. The knee is always a problem because there's no real way you can spare it the way you can the arm or the elbow, which are far less essential to pedalling the bike," he added.
Luxembourg's Andy Schleck, second to Contador in the past two Tours, refused to be drawn into speculation about the Spaniard.
"It doesn't change anything because there are other riders out there, not just him. It is not just a duel between Alberto and me," he said.
The entire peloton are forecasting a battle between Contador and the Schleck brothers in the Pyrenees, as was the case in the two previous editions, with Evans this time joining in the fight.
GRUELLING STAGE
The Australian summed up the general feeling of anxiety before the gruelling 211-kms 12th stage to Luz-Ardiden which includes three climbs -- the Hourquette d'Ancizan, which has never been climbed in the Tour before, the classic Tourmalet and the final ascent.
"You never know before the first mountains exactly how you will feel. Sometimes you feel good and you're dropped on the first climb. Sometimes you feel bad and you manage to keep up all day," he said.
While the first week claimed the scalps of several outside favourites like Briton Bradley Wiggins, Slovenian Janez Brajkovic and Belgian Jurgen Van den Broeck, the three days in the Pyrenees leave the favourites with no other choice than to attack.
Contador's knee problem has almost overshadowed the fact he still lingers 1:41 minutes behind Evans in the overall standings, 1:38 behind Frank Schleck and 1:30 adrift of his younger brother Andy.
Yellow jersey holder Thomas Voeckler is widely expected to soon slip back.
"I've always said that with Alberto Contador, the Frank and Andy Schleck combination was one of the hardest things to come up against in the mountains," added Evans.
Other mountain specialists should not be ruled out.
Twice Giro d'Italia winner Ivan Basso has been surprisingly quiet since the start of the Tour while Dutchman Robert Gesink, harmed in several crashes in the first week, said he was "looking forward to the mountains".
The Tour finishes in Paris on July 24.
reuters
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