What happened in AIX EN PROVENCE, France, March 12, involving Alberto Contador?”
AIX EN PROVENCE, France, March 12 (Reuters) – Alberto Contador will not only have to overcome Lance Armstrong if he is to clinch a third Tour de France, the Spaniard will also face a tough challenge from his compatriots, the Caisse d’Epargne manager said on Friday. Defending champion Contador said earlier this year his main rivals for July’s race would be seven-time winner Armstrong and Luxembourg’s Andy Schleck, but according to Eusebio Unzue, the Caisse d’Epargne team will be a force to be reckoned with.
AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France (AP) — Peter Sagan of Slovakia won the fifth stage of the Paris-Nice race, and Alberto Contador of Spain kept the overall lead. Saga forged ahead about 1.25 miles from the finish to beat Mirco Lorenzetto of Italy by two seconds over the 97.3-mile ride from Pernes-les-Fontaines to Aix-en-Provence. The 20-year-old Sagan won the stage in 3 hours, 34 minutes, 15 seconds. The chasing group included Spanish rider Alejandro Valverde, who finished third. Contador was 10th. Although Contador and Valverde clocked the same time, Valverde picked up a sprint bonus and trimmed Contador’s overall lead to 20 seconds. Roman Kreuziger of the Czech Republic is third overall, 25 seconds behind Contador. The stage featured four minor climbs and Contador stayed safely in the chasing pack, flanked by his Astana teammates. The hilly sixth stage Saturday from Peynie to Tourrettes-sur-Loup should favor Contador’s superior climbing ability. It features seven minor climbs and ends with a c
Aix (French pronunciation: [ɛks], medieval Occitan Aics), or Aix-en-Provence (Provençal Occitan: Ais de Provença in classical norm, or Ais de Prouvènço in Mistralian norm, both pronounced [ˈajs de pʀuˈvɛⁿsɔ] or [zaj])[citation needed] to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city in southern France, some 30 km (19 mi) north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, in the department of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a sub-prefecture. The population of Aix is approximately 140,200.[1] Its inhabitants are called Aixois or, less commonly, Aquisextains.
