Carlos Sastre of Spain won yesterday's 17th stage of the Tour de France, the hardest ride this year up three huge Alpine climbs, to take the overall lead from CSC teammate Franck Schleck.

Sastre took the yellow jersey by speeding ahead of the main title contenders in the final ascent of the 210.5-kilometer ride from Embrun to l'Alpe d'Huez.

Sastre, a five-time top-10 finisher on the Tour who also won a mountain stage in 2003, beat most of the other title threats by more than two minutes.

The stage was the last of three in the Alps. Riders will face a time trial on Saturday that's likely to determine the winner. Two mostly flat stages in the meantime aren't likely to influence the leading bunch.

Cadel Evans of Australia remains a favorite to win the Tour, barring a crash or other mishap, because he is the best time-trial cyclist among the contenders.

Overall, Sastre leads Schleck of Luxembourg by 1 minute, 24 seconds, and Bernhard Kohl of Germany by 1:33. Evans is fourth, 1:34 behind. Another strong time-trial rider, Denis Menchov of Russia, is fifth, 2:39 back.

Team CSC was dominant up the first two climbs, leading the group around the race leader that split ahead of the main pack. By the base of l'Alpe d'Huez, Schleck had five teammates escorting him. It was then that Sastre burst ahead, and he continued to extend his lead up the famed final climb.

"I am very proud and very happy, we all did a remarkable job," CSC owner Bjarne Riis said.

Another Spaniard, Samuel Sanchez of the Euskaltel team, finished second, with Schleck's brother Andy Schleck coming home third for CSC.

Meanwhile, Riccardo Ricco's blood doping case on the Tour was uncovered because of a molecule planted in the banned substance by the drug manufacturer, World Anti-Doping Agency chief John Fahey said yesterday.

Ricco, 24, won two stages before he was expelled from the Tour last week when his positive test for the blood-booster EPO was confirmed by the French anti-doping agency.

Fahey said Roche Pharmaceuticals placed a molecule in its product CERA - Continuous Erythropietin Receptor Activator - when developing the drug to help anti-doping authorities detect illegal use.

"I can't tell you the details of how he was detected," Fahey told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio. But, "I can indicate the particular substance is called CERA...which is a perfectly legitimate substance to deal with anemia.

"In the development of that substance close cooperation occurred between WADA and the pharmaceutical company Roche Pharmaceuticals so that there was a molecule placed in the substance well in advance that was always going to be able to be detected once a test was undertaken."

Fahey said cooperation between sports authorities and drug manufacturers was a step forward in the fight against doping.

"There's more and more of this occurring," he said. "The more cooperation the scientists can have with the drug companies in the detection of performance-enhancing drugs the greater the likelihood is they will be detected when tests are undertaken."

Pierre Bordry, the head of the French Anti-Doping Agency (AFLD) that tested Ricco, revealed that the Saunier Duval team leader tried to flee anti-doping officials after the fourth stage on July 8.

"When he knew he was going to be tested, he went off, and it is the escort who caught him up," Bordry said on Tuesday. "He found himself blocked off. There was a traffic jam of cars and he could not get through the cars."

After Ricco's positive test, Saunier Duval quit the race. Ricco and teammate Leonardo Piepoli have since been fired.

To make matters worse, the team has lost its main sponsor.

"In the development of that substance close cooperation occurred between WADA and the pharmaceutical company Roche Pharmaceuticals so that there was a molecule placed in the substance well in advance that was always going to be able to be detected once a test was undertaken."

Fahey said cooperation between sports authorities and drug manufacturers was a step forward in the fight against doping.

"There's more and more of this occurring," he said. "The more cooperation the scientists can have with the drug companies in the detection of performance-enhancing drugs the greater the likelihood is they will be detected when tests are undertaken."

Pierre Bordry, the head of the French Anti-Doping Agency (AFLD) that tested Ricco, revealed that the Saunier Duval team leader tried to flee anti-doping officials after the fourth stage on July 8.

"When he knew he was going to be tested, he went off, and it is the escort who caught him up," Bordry said on Tuesday. "He found himself blocked off. There was a traffic jam of cars and he could not get through the cars."

After Ricco's positive test, Saunier Duval quit the race. Ricco and teammate Leonardo Piepoli have since been fired.

To make matters worse, the team has lost its main sponsor.

(Agencies via Shanghai Daily July 24, 2008)