Tour de France winner Alberto Contador of Spain (left) kisses his trophy as third-placed finisher in the overall standings, teammate Levi Leipheimer of the United States, looks on, after the 20th and last stage of the 94th Tour de France cycling race between Marcoussis, south-west of Paris, and Paris yesterday. - AP

PARIS (AP)

Alberto Contador won the doping-scarred Tour de France yesterday, a new, young and unlikely winner for the three-week race shaken to its core by scandals.

The 24-year-old rider for the American Discovery Channel team was the youngest champion since Jan Ullrich of Germany in 1997. He also was the first Spaniard to win the crown since the last of Miguel Indurain's five titles in 1995.

His margin of victory - just 23 seconds ahead of Cadel Evans of Australia - was the second-narrowest in the Tour's 104-year history, after 3,500 kilometres (2,200 miles) through Britain, Belgium, Spain and France.

Sweet victory

"It's an extraordinary joy," said Contador, who kissed his winner's yellow jersey on the podium and thrust his arms ecstatically, the Arc de Triomphe in the background. Outside the Discovery team bus, staffersuncorked champagne.

Another Discovery Channel rider, Levi Leipheimer of the United States, finished third, 31 seconds behind.

Contador had seemed destined for second place until the Tour was hit by a bombshell just five days from the finish: the ouster of race leader Michael Rasmussen. His Rabobank team accused the Dane of having lied about his whereabouts before the Tour to evade doping controls.

Both jerseys

Contador high-fived and hugged his teammates after crossing the line. His original goal was to take the white jersey for the best young rider. In the end, he got both white and yellow jerseys.

This Tour turned into a circus after it emerged that Rasmussen was competing despite missing doping controls in May and June, and after Kazakh star Alexandre Vinokourov - a pre-race favourite - and Cristian Moreni of Italy failed doping tests. They and their teams left the race and police raided their hotels, searching for doping products.

Contador, speaking through a translator, called his victory a "dream come true".

In 2004, he suffered a brain aneurism while racing in Spain's Tour of Asturias and collapsed to the ground from his bike, with severe convulsions. He underwent surgery in a matter of hours, which doctors said saved him from irreversible brain damage. They blamed it on a congenital problem with an artery in his brain. While in the hospital, Contador drew inspiration from a book about Armstrong, who survived testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain.

Asked on French television about his brain surgery, Contador took off his yellow cap and showed a large scar running down the side of his head.

"It really marked me for life," Contador said, "but allowed me to better savour this moment."

Contador was a new star for a race searching for a successor to Armstrong, who retired in 2005, and which is struggling to repair its credibility after two straight years marred by doping.

The 2006 winner, Floyd Landis, did not defend his crown because of doping charges hanging over him.