Tour de France betting is complete, as Alberto Contador drank the victor’s champagne during the final stage into Paris, capping what has been a see-saw affair for the Spaniard.

Contador was the sports betting favorite heading into the competition, but much of the pre-event talk surrounded the relationship between Contador and Astana teammate Lance Armstrong, who came out of retirement to go for his eighth Tour de France. However, it was clear that Contador was the better rider, and he surged towards the yellow jersey with a Stage 15 win in the mountains on July 19^th, and he never relinquished the jersey. Contador essentially ended the race with a victory in the individual time trials for the 18^th stage, and the result was all but set. Andy Schleck of Luxembourg was second to Contador by 4:11, while Armstrong came in third, 5:24 off the pace.

This could have been Contador’s third straight win, if Astana wasn’t excluded from last year’s Tour de France because of doping accusations. Contador’s future probably lies away from Astana, which could set up a massive matchup in next year’s event between Contador and Armstrong, two of the greatest cyclists to ever get on a bike. Contador, at the tender age of 26, has won all three of cycling’s biggest events (France, Spain and Italy), while Armstrong is a legend in not just cycling, but in mainstream media, and he’ll have his own team for the 2010 event. When this does happen, this should be one of the most anticipated sports picks of 2010.