You all know I'm a Schleck fan and you all know I don't like Armstrong that much,so I think you can easily guess how I felt immediately after today's stage.
Things actually started well: the Specialized commercial with Frank showed on television (me wonders what my relatives thought about it),the Saxo Bank riders working hard in the first part of the stage,los Sorensens pulling hard at the beginning of the climb (Italian chronists always start to talk about how riders' faces change when they're riding full gas every time they see Chris-Anker Sorensen pulling at the head of the peloton,me wonders why...),a breakaway with some good riders...
Things actually started well: the Specialized commercial with Frank showed on television (me wonders what my relatives thought about it),the Saxo Bank riders working hard in the first part of the stage,los Sorensens pulling hard at the beginning of the climb (Italian chronists always start to talk about how riders' faces change when they're riding full gas every time they see Chris-Anker Sorensen pulling at the head of the peloton,me wonders why...),a breakaway with some good riders...
And then the news of the fire burning near to the Mont Ventoux: I don't know why,but as soon as she heard about it,Fangirl thought something involving Bruyneel,a bottle of petrol and Armstrong's third place.Logic immediately stopped this thought,fortunately.
During the first kms of the climb,after the forcing made by both the Sorensen,Frank attacked many times,but Armstrong always followed him,just like Wiggins and Kloden did.Then Andy attacked,but just Kloden got dropped.Then little bro attacked again and Contador was the only rider that was able to follow him.Frank didn't follow his brother and so the situation remained the following for some kms: Martin and Garate alone at the head of the race,Andy and Contador (who were then joined by Nibali) behind.At a certain point Andy (together with Contador and Nibali) almost stopped to wait for Frank's group.
During the first kms of the climb,after the forcing made by both the Sorensen,Frank attacked many times,but Armstrong always followed him,just like Wiggins and Kloden did.Then Andy attacked,but just Kloden got dropped.Then little bro attacked again and Contador was the only rider that was able to follow him.Frank didn't follow his brother and so the situation remained the following for some kms: Martin and Garate alone at the head of the race,Andy and Contador (who were then joined by Nibali) behind.At a certain point Andy (together with Contador and Nibali) almost stopped to wait for Frank's group.
As soon as Frank got in his same group,Andy attacked again but just Kloden got dropped (he had came back in Frank's group when Andy and Contador were riding at the front).Then,in the last 3-4 kms,none of the GC riders attacked.
In the meanwhile,at the head of the race,Garate dropped Martin with 1 km to go,but the German rider then joined him again.At the last curve,where Szmyd made me scream of joy last month and where in 2000 Pantani won ahead of Armstrong,Garate outsprinted Tony and won the stage.
On the finish line,Andy sprinted and arrived 3rd (just like last year on Alpe d'Huez).4th was Contador,5th Armstrong and 6th,3" behind the Texan rider,came Frank.Wiggins arrived 10th,20" after Frank.And Frank,that is not a lucky boy at all,needed to gain 23" seconds on Wiggins to arrive 4th in the GC.So,the GC situation is now the following:
In the meanwhile,at the head of the race,Garate dropped Martin with 1 km to go,but the German rider then joined him again.At the last curve,where Szmyd made me scream of joy last month and where in 2000 Pantani won ahead of Armstrong,Garate outsprinted Tony and won the stage.
On the finish line,Andy sprinted and arrived 3rd (just like last year on Alpe d'Huez).4th was Contador,5th Armstrong and 6th,3" behind the Texan rider,came Frank.Wiggins arrived 10th,20" after Frank.And Frank,that is not a lucky boy at all,needed to gain 23" seconds on Wiggins to arrive 4th in the GC.So,the GC situation is now the following:
1 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana
2 Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank 0:04:11
2 Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank 0:04:11
3 Lance Armstrong (USA) Astana 0:05:24
4 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Garmin - Slipstream 0:06:01
5 Fränk Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank 0:06:04
6 Andreas Klöden (Ger) Astana 0:06:42
Talking about the older of the Schleck brothers,Logic has noticed that without the TTT won by Astana,Armstrong would have arrived with Frank's same overall time.Anyway,Frank has said he's happy with his 5th place overall.
"I am very tired after an extremely tough stage but I am also happy and content. We tried with everything we have learned and had and we were on the attack all the way to the top so there is nothing to regret or feel sorry about”.Although Fangirl can't avoid to think that on Verbier's climb Armstrong arrived 29" after Frank (and in that occasion Kloden helped a lot the American rider) and that during Le Gran Bornard stage the ol' man from Texas lost 2 minutes from Frankie,Logic agrees with Frank's words and says that next year the older of the Schleck brothers will be on the podium in Paris.
Talking instead about Andy,after today's stage Little Bro' said that:"Contador has been the strongest rider of the Tour,every day he was at the front,he never had a bad day.He's a 'caballero'." "I'll try to win the Tour next year as well,but it will be difficult because Contador will be here again.Anyway,I'm younger than him and I can still improve"."I could have won today,but my second place in the GC wasn't in danger so I prefered to wait and try to help Frank.He could have arrived 3rd in the overall classificaton,but today Armstrong was very strong".
To close this post,a vid with His Amazingness: http://www.saxobanktakingthelead.com/?p=1217 .Big Jens thanks everybody for their support and says he feels better than expected (even if "a bit" beat up). I wish him a fast recover again and I hope to see him back on the road soon.
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