Judging by today's stage, Alberto Contador could be looking at one of the easiest wins of his career, for he seems to be head and tails above everyone else in this race. Today's trek into the mountains of Avila barely raised a sweat on the Spaniard's forehead, even if some of his teamates looked just a little bit weary at the end of a day where they'd never left the front of the peloton at all. No escapes had a chance of surviving, for Astana and Contador want to win this race so much and make a very clear statement to certain race organisers as well as certain rival teams that they are not to be messed with.
Contador should win this race easily, seeing as how lightly he was pedalling today, while those around him cursed and struggled with the climbs. His time trial ride yesterday opened up new pastures for the little fellow to explore, and with a bit more fine-tuning of his position and time trialling style, that same energy and purpose will eventually be transferred into the longer time trials that await him in bigger stage-races this summer. If there is one danger to Contador winning, it must surely come from Mauricio Solar, the climber who won last year mountains prize in the Tour de France. The tall Colombian also put in a remarkable time trial yesterday, and at just 28-seconds off Contador's pace, he is the biggest threat on Thursday's decisive climb into the northern mountains of the enticing region of Spain
General Classification after stage two
1 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana 3.41.58
2 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Astana 0.04
3 Thomas Dekker (Ned) Rabobank 0.13
4 Jason McCartney (USA) Team CSC 0.15
5 Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 0.19
6 Christian Vande Velde (USA) Slipstream Chipotle 0.22
7 Steven Cozza (USA) Slipstream Chipotle 0.25
8 Moises Duenas Nevado (Spa) Barloworld 0.28
9 Mauricio Soler (Col) Barloworld
10 Tyler Farrar (USA) Slipstream Chipotle 0.30
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