Casar wins 18th stage after crash

ANGOULEME, France -- Sandy Casar, riding for the Francaise des Jeux team, picked himself up after crashing into a stray dog to win the 211km 18th stage of the Tour de France from Cahors to Angoulemeon Friday.

Discovery Channel's Alberto Contador retained the yellow jersey with a 1min 50sec lead on Australian Cadel Evans, and 2:49 on his American teammate Levi Leipheimer.

Contador, Evans and Leipheimer will each go into Saturday's penultimate but decisive stage, a relatively flat 55.km time trial from Cognac to Angouleme, with a chance of winning the race's yellow jersey.

It was partly for that reason - keeping their leaders as fresh as possible - that the teams of the yellow jersey rivals were forced to allow another opportunistic breakaway to go all the way to the finish.

A four-man group pulled away from the peloton after 16km and went on to build a massive lead of more than 17 minutes, which put Dutchman Michael Boogerd virtually in the top five.

However, it was clear that Boogerd was simply going for the stage win.

The smiling Dutchman had started the day in 16th at 27:50 behind Contador but admitted Thursday that the ejection of Michael Rasmussen, his former teammate at the Rabobank team, had left a bitter taste.

Rasmussen's eviction for lying to his team bosses about his whereabouts led to his sacking, and left the Dutch outfit bereft of the team leader who had also been wearing the yellow jersey.

Boogerd went on the attack after seeing Jerome Lefevre and Frenchman Casar pull ahead on the day's first small climb, a few kilometers previously.

Liquigas rider Frederik Willems was also in the group, and together the quartet began to slowly distance the bunch.

It was not long before the resilience of Willems and Casar was tested, although it was a stray dog, not the ensuing peloton, that was the threat, causing the pair to crash.

While Casar shrugged off the pain and dug deep to close the gap, the Belgian slowed up and rejoined the peloton.

Lefevre and Boogerd then slowed to allow Casar, and Axel Merckx - who had been battling to close the gap on the quartet since the day's first climb - to join them in order to reinforce their cause.

Together at the 36km mark, and despite having another two, category-four climbs to negotiate their lead just kept on growing.

By the time the peloton came over the summit of the day's final climb, at the St Cyprien 70.5 kilometers into the race, their deficit on the four leaders was 12:25.

Eventually Contador's Discovery Channel team tried setting a faster tempo, but once they realized they were getting no help from any of the sprinters' teams in the peloton they settled back into secondary roles.

Euskaltel then tried their hand at closing the gap, because they had two riders in the top ten under threat from Boogerd.

But the leaders maintained their momentum with Casar holding off his breakaway partners to prevail by one second from Merckx.

"At last!" said Casar, who has three runner-up places in Tour stages so far. "It's been a long time in coming."

Casar's spectacular crash occurred after a dog had wandered from the left hand-side of the road which thronged with spectators.

The Frenchman first hit the dog, then the tarmac on a slight descent as the quartet tried to stretch their advantage.

"The dog wasn't on the leash, so of course it surprised me," said Casar, who was left with grazes on his right buttock.

"We were still going really fast because we didn't really have such a big gap on the peloton. Crashing is just part of the job, but at the same time I thought it was over for me."

The 28-year-old Frenchman thanked Boogerd and Lefevre for slowing up and waiting for him after his setback, which left fallen Belgian Frederik Willems rejoining the peloton.

When it came to the finale, Casar thought Boogerd's experience would tell. But he said the slight incline gave him the slight edge.

"When Boogerd caught up with me inside the final kilometer, and then with 500 meters to go I thought it was all over," said Casar.

"I waited as long as I could, then just went for bust. A finish after a sligt incline is what suits me best."

Boogerd had reason to be doubly disappointed.

The Dutchman went in search of a stage win to help soothe the pain of seeing his former team leader Michael Rasmussen evicted from the race.

Boogerd's work helping the Dane get into the yellow jersey, and win two stages, counted for nothing on Wednesday when Rasmussen was sacked following his failure to inform the team where he was in June.

"My legs felt really good today. I think maybe I was the strongest up the hill, but I'm not the strongest in the sprints," said Boogerd who did not want to talk about his former teammate.

"I'm really tired (of answering questions about Ramussen)."

Boogerd's attack moved him up the general classification to 13th overall at 19:10 behind Contador.

Despite coming close on what is his 12th and final Tour de France appearance, the Dutchman said he would not be coming back next year.

"I am definitely retiring!"

Merckx paid tribute to Casar.

"I'm not a sprinter," said the Belgian. "Sandy Casar was stronger, he proved that three kilometers from the finish." E-mail to a friend