Pauillac, France ? Wiping away tears, Alberto Contador is ready for the champagne to flow.

Alberto Contador of Spain, wearing the overall leader’s yellow jersey, strains in the last few hundred meters before crossing the finish line of the 19th stage of the Tour de France. Contador all but wrapped up the Tour victory on Saturday in Pauillac, France.

After three daunting weeks of crashes, biting cold, fog and searing heat, he is set to become the Tour de France champion again.

The Spaniard all but captured his third title in four years Saturday by holding off a full-bore challenge from his main rival, Andy Schleck of Luxembourg, in a 32-mile individual time trial in the next-to-last stage. Today’s ride into Paris is a mostly ceremonial affair.

“I am very moved … It was a difficult Tour, and I’m very happy,” a tearful Contador said.

He took a deep breath and his hand trembled as he fired an index finger — the trademark gesture by the rider nicknamed “El Pistolero” — to fans after donning the yellow jersey one more time.

“I think it’s the first Tour that has given me so much emotion, you can’t imagine,” he said.

Contador wasn’t in top form, but did what he had to. The defending champion extended his lead over Schleck from eight seconds to 39 in a stage won by Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland.

Now Contador surely gets to wear yellow on the Champs-Elysees. And as the unquestioned leader of his sport at 27 years old, he remains on track for a possible challenge to Lance Armstrong’s record of seven Tour wins.

Barring a wild turn of events, Contador awaits a coronation in the 20th and final stage today — a 64-mile ride from Longjumeau to the famed Paris thoroughfare. Any attempted attacks by riders likely would be quashed by Contador and his Astana teammates.

Contador will have won the Tour without winning a stage. He’ll become the first champion to have done that since Greg LeMond of the U.S. won the last of his three titles in 1990 — not counting 2006 — when Oscar Pereiro of Spain inherited his title only after American Floyd Landis lost it for doping.

Contador acknowledged this wasn’t his best Tour.

“Cycling is not like mathematics. There are moments when you are very well-prepared and everything runs smoothly. But this year, maybe I was not in the best shape really,” he said.

“Today I was not feeling so well: I didn’t sleep well, I had a stomachache,” Contador said, before adding: “Eventually, things went pretty well.”

Schleck, who is poised to finish second to Contador for the second straight year, had no regrets.

“Beating Contador is not easy, but I tried everything,” Schleck said. “I am happy, and I’ll come back next year to win.”