Contador takes yellow jersey after 17th stage

Spaniard Alberto Contador officially took the overall lead of the Tour de France after yesterday's 17th stage, which started without previous yellow jersey holder Michael Rasmussen and the Cofidis team.

Rasmussen was sacked by his Rabobank team. His Rabobank team decided to continue in the Tour although Russian Denis Menchov quit halfway through the stage from Pau to Castelsarrasin.

In line with race regulations, no one wore the yellow jersey during the 188.5-km stage won by Italian Daniele Bennati.

Contador finished in the bunch and has a lead of one minute and 53 seconds over Australian Cadel Evans, who is unlikely to close the gap in tomorrow's decisive time-trial from Cognac to Angouleme.

"I am happy. I feel good, there are three days remaining," Discovery rider Contador said.

Lampre rider Benatti outsprinted German Markus Fothen of the Gerolsteiner team to win yesterday's stage and Swiss Martin Elminger came home third for the AG2r team.

"We have to fight against doping. I hope the sport will see the end of the tunnel because I think there are riders who do their job honestly," Benatti told reporters.

Cofidis left the race on Wednesday after Italian Cristian Moreni failed a dope test for the male sex hormone testosterone. It was the second positive test of this year's race following Kazakh Alexander Vinokourov's result for blood doping.