<table style="width: 123px; height: 219px" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="123" align="right" border="1">  <tbody>  <tr>  <td><img alt="" src="/imagedata/2010/jul/contador.jpg" border="0" /></td></tr>  <tr>  <td>  <p align="center"><span style="font-size: 8pt">J Rodriguez</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table>Defending champion Alberto Contador cut into Andy Schleck's overall Tour de France lead yesterday, as Spain's Joaquin Rodriguez celebrated his maiden race victory in the 12th stage.<br /><br />Rodriguez held off the challenge of his compatriot Contador, who launched a late charge on the gruelling 3km climb towards Mende that caught his rivals cold and allowed him to cut Schleck's advantage to 31sec.<br /><br />It was 31-year-old's Rodriguez first stage win in the race, in which the Katusha rider is competing for the first time.<br /><br />Schleck (Saxo Bank) recovered to cross the line in fifth place alongside Belgium's Jurgen Van den Broeck, 10sec behind Contador. Third place went to Contador's Astana team-mate Alexandre Vinokourouv, a survivor of a breakaway that started after 60km of this rolling 210.5km stage from Bourg-de-Peage.

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Defending champion Alberto Contador cut into Andy Schleck's overall Tour de France lead yesterday, as Spain's Joaquin Rodriguez celebrated his maiden race victory in the 12th stage

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