Did Contador Sit Up and Cause Stage 3's Split?

I find this a bit hard to believe, but a French rider claims that Alberto Contador sat up to help foster the split that occurred near the end of stage three. The result of this move was Contador lost 41 seconds to teammate Armstrong and a few other favorites.

It seems that such a move is a bit early for Contador, or any favorite to be playing. He could have lost more time than just 41 seconds. He allowed two other potential winners to gain that time as well.

Then again, if it was deliberate, maybe that's why Popovych and Zubeldia were helping drive the escape, when most woudl have expected them to sit at the back, thus minimizing the time penalty to Leipheimer, Kloden, and Contador.

Nice soap opera stuff. Which is why the Tour can be so compelling.