Schleck leads as Tour enters final week

CUNEO, Italy, July 21 (UPI) -- Frank Schleck takes a 7-second lead into the final six stages of the 2008 Tour de France.

Tour riders have their final day off of the 2008 race on Monday. They return to racing Tuesday with a 94.2-mile race from Cuneo, Italy, to Jausiers, France. The route crosses the Italian-French border at Col de la Lombarde and concludes with a steep downhill section over the last 14 miles of the stage.

Schleck Sunday became the sixth rider this year to claim the overall leader's yellow jersey.

Schleck's time of 63 hours, 57 minutes, 21 seconds over the first 15 stages of the Tour de France is 7 seconds ahead of Bernhard Kohl and 8 seconds ahead of Cadel Evans.

Denis Menchov is in fourth place, 38 seconds behind Schleck's pace while Christian Vande Velde is fifth, 39 seconds back of Schleck, and Carlos Sastre is sixth, 49 seconds behind the leader.

The 2008 Tour de France has stages scheduled each day this week until it wraps up Sunday in Paris.