Contador makes move

MENDE, France — Spain’s Alberto Contador scored a big point on the final climb of Friday’s 12th stage of the 2010 Tour de France, which was won by fellow Spaniard Joaquin Rodriguez Oliver.

Halfway up the short, very steep climb to the finish in the city of Mende, the two-time Tour champion left behind his main rival, Luxembourg’s Andy Schleck.

Although Contador made up only 10 seconds on Schleck, who still leads the standings, he demonstrated his climbing superiority just ahead of four decisive stages in the Pyrenees Mountains.

“It’s always good to reduce the gap between us,” Contador said. “It was an important day for me.”

Schleck’s lead over Contador shrank to 21 seconds, with yet another Spanish rider, Samuel Sanchez, lying in third, 2:45 behind.

Rodriguez Oliver, 31, who is riding for the first time in the Tour, was the only rider able to keep pace with Contador on the climb, and outsprinted him to the finish.

“I knew the climb because I had ridden it on the Paris-Nice race,” he said. “And I knew I would be faster than Contador at the end.”

Contador’s Astana teammate Alexandre Vinokourov of Kazakhstan came in third, 4 seconds behind the winner, after leading much of the way up the final ascent, which was only 1.9 miles long but with an average slope of more than 10 percent.

Rodriguez Oliver’s time for the 210.5-km course from Bourg-de-Peage was 4 hours, 58 minutes, 26 seconds, an impressive average speed of 26.5 mph on a course that included five climbs.

The Tour ends July 25 in Paris.