'I'm hurting,' he said Sunday with a grim smile. Just about the only suspense remaining in the race is who will flank Contador on the podium in Paris.

That question will almost certainly be answered on the cruel slopes of Mont Ventoux, which will be climbed on the next-to-last stage of this year's Tour.

The 23-year-old Luxembourg rider Andy Schleck finished second Sunday, 43 seconds behind Contador, and looked the best of the rest. Schleck now stands fifth, 2 minutes 26 seconds adrift, and less than a minute behind Armstrong.

But the ascent of Mont Ventoux represents a challenge of a different order from Sunday's climb in Switzerland, being nearly three times as long and even steeper.

The 2008 Tour winner Carlos Sastre is another possibility. He finished sixth Sunday, 1 minute 6 seconds behind the winner, and is now 3 minutes 52 seconds off the lead.

The 34-year-old Sastre is usually at his best in the third week of the Tour and will surely be strong July 25.

The joker in the field is named Bradley Wiggins. The 29-year-old Briton is better known as a speedster, having won three gold medals at the 2008 UCI World Track Championships. But he lost eight kilos over the winter and has transformed himself into a formidable climber.

After Sunday's stage he lies in third place, only nine seconds behind Armstrong.