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Spanish rider Carlos Sastre used the Alps to his advantage to become the overall leader with just three stages to go in the 2008 Tour De France. After winning the 130.8 mile-long 17th Stage, Sastre would wear the yellow jersey for the 18th Stage.

Following the 18th Stage victory of Germany’s Marcus Burghardt with a time of 4:30:21, Sastre enjoys a cushion of over one minute long as riders will no longer have to traverse the Alps. Stage 18 featured a 122-mile ride from Bourg-d’Oisans to Saint-Etienne. Burghardt and Spain’s Carlos Barredo finished with more than a 3-minute lead on third place Romain Feillu. The main pack, led by Samuel Dumoulin and Cyril Dessel, finished over 6 minutes later.

While they are not contenders for title this year, the Burghardt and Barredo raced the last six miles as if they were 1-2 in the overall standings.

Overall Standings after Stage 18:

1. Carlos Sastre (79:16:14)

2. Frank Schleck (1:24 behind Sastre)

3. Bernhard Kohl (1:33 behind Sastre)

4. Cadel Evans (1:34 behind Sastre)

5. Denis Menchov (2:39 behind Sastre)

6. Christian Vandevelde (4:41 behind Sastre)

7. Alejandro Valverde (5:35 behind Sastre)

8. Samuel Sanchez (5:52 behind Sastre)

9. Tadej Valjavec (8:10 behind Sastre)

10. Vladimir Efimkin (8:24 behind Sastre)