Spain’s Alberto Cantador won the 2009 Tour de France on Sunday for his 2nd career Tour de France victory.  Cantador also won the 2007 Tour de France.  Fellow Astana team member – 7-time Tour winner Lance Armstrong – finished in 3rd place.  Cantador and Armstrong battled throughout the Tour as tensions grew over who would be the team leader.  Cantador had this to say about the win – “It has been an especially difficult Tour for me, but I savor it and it is more special because of it… We are totally incompatible.  In the end, Armstrong will go his way and I’ll go mine.”

Cantador is probably the best cycler in the sport today.  He has already won all 3 Grand Tours of France, Italy and Spain, and at the young age of 26 still has plenty of good years ahead of him.

As for Armstrong, he intends to return to the Tour de France with a different team in 2010.