Stage 17 - Thursday, July 26: Pau - Castelsarrasin, 188.5km

24 year old Spaniard Alberto Contador looks pensive as he dons his first yellow jersey.
Italian sprinter Daniele Bennati wins the stage from the breakaway.
Discovery Channel looks poised to make it 8 out of 9 straight tours.

Italian sprinter Daniel Bennati has beaten the likes of Alessandro Petacchi, but has never achieved a victory in the world's largest cycling race until today in Castelsarrasin. The 26 year-old Tuscan entered into an early escape of eight and then made the final selection of four with 19 kilometres remaining. The sprinter from Lampre then made easy work of beating Markus Fothen (Gerolsteiner) to the line. Martin Elmiger (Ag2r Prévoyance) and Jens Voigt (Team CSC) finished in third and fourth.

Alberto Contador (Discovery Channel) spent his first day ever in the race leadership of the Tour but he was strangely not wearing the coveted maillot jaune. Tour de France organisers decided this morning that no-one would wear the yellow jersey after its former wearer Michael Rasmussen left the Tour in disgrace after being fired by his Rabobank team for lying about his whereabouts leading up to the Tour. Contador wore the maillot blanc of best young rider, a competition he also leads, and he was awarded his first maillot jaune following the stage.

Stage 17
1. Daniele Bennati (I), Lampre, 188.5km in 4:14:04
2. Marcus Fothen (G), Gerolsteiner
3. Martin Elmiger (G), Ag2r
4. Jens Voigt (G), CSC, same time
5. David Millar (GB), Saunier Duval-Prodir, at 2:41
6. Matteo Tosatto (I), Quick Step-Innergetic, at 2:43
7. Manuel Quinziato (I), Liquigas, at 3:20
8. Daniele Righi (I), Lampre-Fondital, s.t.
9. Tom Boonen (B), Quick Step-Innergetic, at 9:37
10. Sebastien Chavanel (F), Française des Jeux, s.t.

Overall
1. Alberto Contador (Sp), Discovery Channel, 80:42:08
2. Cadel Evans (Aus), Predictor-Lotto, at 1:53
3. Levi Leipheimer (USA), Discovery Channel, at 2:49
4. Carlos Sastre (Sp), CSC, at 6:02
5. Haimar Zubeldia (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 6:29
6. Alejandro Valverde (Sp), Caisse D'Epargne, at 10:18
7. Kim Kirchen (Lux), T-Mobile, at 11:36
8. Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr), Discovery Channel, at 12:50
9. Juan Mauricio Soler (Col), Barloworld, at 13:31
10. Mikel Astarloza (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 13:42