Schleck retains hope of dislodging Contador

Andy Schleck was the only man to resist Alberto Contador in the first Alpine stage of the Tour de France on Sunday and the Luxembourg rider still believes he has a chance of beating the Spaniard to Paris.

"I was impressed by Contador, I didn't expect him to be so strong," said Schleck, who finished 45 seconds behind the new Tour leader on the 15th stage to Verbier.

Lying fifth overall, 2:26 behind the Spaniard, Schleck told journalists in Switzerland that there was still time to attack the 2007 Tour champion and other contenders for podium places in the gruelling last week of the race.

"We're ready to take all the risks in the third week. I'm sure we can isolate them," he added. "The ideal scenario would be to find myself with Contador and (older brother) Frank in the finale," he said.

After a rest day, the Tour stays in the Alps today with a stage to Bourg St Maurice that involves two tough climbs followed by an even more demanding ride to Le Grand Bornand featuring five mountain passes.

Schleck, who finished 12th last year and as the leading under-25 rider, said he believed second-placed Lance Armstrong and Briton Bradley Wiggins, currently third, could be dislodged.

"I'm better than Armstrong in the mountains. Verbier was just the last climb, it wasn't much. It will be very different with so many big passes in the next couple of stages," he added.

"To make it to the podium, we must blow Wiggins and Armstrong up and then isolate Contador."

Thursday's 40.5-km time-trial in Annecy is expected to favour the riders immediately above him in the overall standings but Schleck said he was not worried.

"I'm not afraid of the last time trial. It's in the third week of a big Tour, which makes a huge difference. When I finished second in the Giro (in 2007), I was seventh in the last time-trial," he said.