Contador wins Tour overshadowed by doping

By Julien Pretot

PARIS (Reuters) - Spaniard Alberto Contador of the Discovery Channel team won the Tour de France after finishing safe in the main pack in Sunday's last stage won by Italian Daniele Bennati.

The Lampre rider won the bunch sprint on the Champs-Elysees at the end of the 146-km 20th stage from Marcoussis to Paris. Norway's Thor Hushovd of Credit Agricole was second with German Erik Zabel third for the Milram team.

Australian Cadel Evans of the Predictor Lotto team finished second overall, 23 seconds behind Contador, whose team mate Levi Leipheimer of the U.S. was third 31 seconds off the pace.

It is the second smallest winning margin on the Tour since Greg LeMond beat Laurent Fignon by eight seconds in 1989.

Contador, who received the visit on Saturday of seven-times Tour winner and former Discovery Channel leader Lance Armstrong, became the first Spaniard to win the world's greatest race since Miguel Indurain's fifth victory in 1995.

"There were hard times. Saturday's time trial was very hard. I had to fight but it was worth it, it's marvelous," the Spaniard told French TV channel France 2.

He also became the first mere climber to prevail on the roads of France since Italian Marco Pantani in 1998.

Belgian Tom Boonen took his first green jersey for the best sprinter and Colombia's Juan Mauricio Soler won the polka-dot jersey for the best climber.

BLOOD DOPING

The 94th edition of the Tour was marred by doping scandals.

Kazakh Alexander Vinokourov failed a blood doping test and was sent packing with his Astana team. The Cofidis team also pulled out of the race following Italian Cristian Moreni's positive test for testosterone.

Dane Michael Rasmussen was sacked by his Rabobank team for lying about his training whereabouts and left the Tour when he was the race leader.

With his 23-second lead over Evans and another eight seconds over Leipheimer, the 24-year-old Contador had all but won the race after Saturday's time trial.

The final stage was the last opportunity for South African Robert Hunter to leapfrog Boonen in the sprinters' standings.

However, the Quick Step rider prevailed after ending the stage in fifth place just behind Hunter.