Discovery Channel's Alberto Contador is on the verge of winning the Tour de France after fending off strong challenges from Cadel Evans and Levi Leipheimer in the final time-trial to Angoulême.

The 25-year-old Spaniard kept his losses to one minute 27 seconds over Evans, who in turn had to fend off a huge challenge from Leipheimer for second spot overall. The American produced what he termed "the time-trial of my life" to take the stage win, while Evans was second, 51 seconds further back.

Contador, who finished fifth, now carries a 23 second lead over Evans into Sunday's final stage, finishing on the Champs-Elysees. In the only changes in the top ten of the general classification, Mikel Astarloza and Oscar Pereiro leapfrogged Juan Mauricio Soler into ninth and tenth respectively.

Leif Hoste had been given the task of riding himself to the limit in order to be able to provide Predictor-Lotto team-mate Evans with advice over how best tackle the course, and indeed the Belgian time-trial champion blazed round in one hour five minutes 33 seconds, a time that stood for a long while until George Hincapie bettered it by 15 seconds.

Hincapie's time was never likely to stand for long though, and was edged out by Jose Ivan Gutierrez moments later by the slender margin of six seconds soon after, and the Spaniard would have been even quicker had he not dropped his chain en route.

As he did in the first time-trial, world champion Fabian Cancellara disappointed, finishing a full two minutes 55 seconds off the eventual winning time.

Vladimir Karpets set a new benchmark after arriving in 30 seconds quicker than Gutierrez, while Leipheimer obliterated the big Russian's time through the second check point after 35 kilometres by a massive one minute 13 seconds.

With Evans unable to match Leipheimer's tempo and Contador doing his utmost to limit his losses, it seemed increasingly likely that Leipheimer could wrestle second place from the Australian, and possibly challenge for the yellow jersey of his team-mate.

Evans dug deep over the final kilometre to guard his second place though, while Contador produced a strong showing in the last third of the course, and with pain and determination etched on his face, ensured victory would not be taken from him.

Eurosport