MONT VENTOUX, France — Alberto Contador is basking in double satisfaction: the Tour de France victory is an easy ride away, and he's pulled it off in spite of his own team — and Lance Armstrong.

The 26-year-old Spaniard all but secured a second victory in cycling's main event yesterday, by fending off challengers in the race climax on one of France's toughest climbs: Mont Ventoux.

Armstrong, the seven-time champion, will be on podium for an eighth time, but he's third — not on the step he had aimed for.

When he sees Contador in the yellow jersey on the Champs-Elysees, Armstrong — after not-so-subtle verbal jabs against the Spaniard during the three-week race — could very well be green.

In the heat of the race, Contador had sought to deflect the differences in their Kazakh Astana team, dodging or downplaying questions about "tension" that Armstrong evoked.

With victory nearly certain, the Spaniard opened up a bit.

"My conscience is very clear because in the end I have run two races, one on the bike and one at the team hotel," he said.

Contador knew his task at the Tour would be tricky when the Texan announced last year he was coming back from retirement to join his old mentor, Johan Bruyneel, at the Astana team. The Belgian strategist had been training Contador as his new cycling star.

Once the Tour was on, and Armstrong's barbs flew, Contador counted the days and tried to focus on his racing — not on tensions at the team dinner table.

"Every day, I told myself: 'One day less,' " he said at a news conference. "Now, it's all settled. Everything is better and the situation is back to normal."

Armstrong and Bruyneel are very close. Contador was asked whether he thought that the team manager would have rather seen the Texan win.

"That's a good question," the Spaniard said.

"The preparations for the Tour were complicated. There were a lot of elements stacked against me, but instead of being worried, I took it all as an added motivator," he said. "I think I succeeded."