The last months have been tough for Andy Schleck. First, Beer-gate. Then, his new team. In April, the critics for his poor performances in the Ardennes Classics and for the fact that he takes part just in a few races. In May, the tragedy of Wouter Weylandt left him (and us) shocked after seeing what can happen when bad luck meets the descent on which you're following your dream and doing your job. In June, Andy was criticised because of his performances at Tour de Suisse. In the last two weeks, instead, he's been facing the Tour de France and he's been criticised for his lack of attacks, for his complaints about the stages and for his habit of turning his neck backwards while riding - a habit that has earned him the nickname of 'torticollis' amongst his colleagues. But still, Andy didn't let the critics take over him. He kept on saying that he would have given it all on the Alps and, in the end, that's what he did.
At the start of today's stage, the riders knew that they were going to become part of the long history of the Tour. For the first time, in fact, the Grande Boucle dared to challenge its Majesty the Galibier.The approach to the climb wasn't easy. Galibier wanted to show everyone that he, the mountain, had a complete control on the Tour which, after all, is just a human thing. Nature is stronger than everything and the snow threatened the parcours of this stage until yesterday evening. Luckily, in the end the Giant was clement, although he wanted the riders to respect a deal: they could have ridden there, towards the highest finish-line of the history of the Tour, only if they were going to give it all. This stage was ready to enter history and the Galibier offered the riders the chance of becoming part of a living legend that, since the beginning of the 20th century, has been travelling across France.
This morning, the atmosphere at the start village in Pinerolo was electric. On one side of the boxing ring, Thomas Voeckler, the rider who, in the last days, has become the son, the lover, the father of the French cycling and, of course, of the French people. The Frenchmen wrote his name all over the climbs, they supported him with all their heart and all their soul: but this morning, Thomas knew that he might have had to abandon the maillot jaune. On the other side, his adversaries: people who have trained all year long in order to win the Grande Boucle, whereas Thomas' goal at the start of the race was a simple stage victory. Amongst T Blanc's rivals there were the tenacious Evans, the dancing Spaniard Contador, his ally (and best friend on wheels) Samu Sanchez, the Italians Basso and Cunego and the Schleck brothers, ready to take revenge on those who had criticised him in the last days.
The Tour left Italy by riding on Colle dell'Agnello. A colourful parade made of sufference and dreams took place on the road that divides and unifies Italy and France and a colourful river of supporters did its best in supporting the riders in their quest for glory. Some brave riders, as usual, tried their luck. Some did it because they were looking for a day of glory, some because they wanted to improve their position in the GC, some because they were ready to help their captains. This was the case of Monfort and Posthuma, who put their egos aside in order to help the Schleck brothers.
On the Izoard (where I fell in love with Andy Schleck in 2007), a thunder, a bolt, an eagle leaving its nest: Andy Schleck escaped from the group, without looking back. 'Is he crazy?, many people wondered. No, Andy isn't crazy: he had upsetted people with his racing style and he knew he had to give something back to his supporters, to his family, to his team. He knows that the recipe for glory is made of grit, determination and braveness and he mixed all these elements in order to paint a masterpiece on the roads of France. He slowly gained time on his rivals who, laughing at his efforts, underestimated him. On the top of Izoard he met his faithful helpers and Monfort led him to Lautaret together with Devenyns, whereas Chris Anker Sorensen and the Invincible Armada formed by Euskaltel and Saxo (when will the Basque riders abandon their kits in order to wear an eagle on their jerseys?) were chasing hard in the peloton. Voeckler looked worried, but he wasn't ready to give up.
A few days ago, talking about the stage towards the Galibier, he would have said that it wasn't going to his battle. After a crazy stage with a crazy epilogue and a crazy car driver, instead, he found himself at the top of the cycling world, ready to give it all in order to keep the 'maillot jaune' with him for another day.
With 17 kms to go and after more than 40 kms of breakaway, Andy Schleck had a gap of 3' 50" on T Blanc and his rivals. His teammate Monfort, a loyal helper, couldn't ride with him anymore and, at the beginning of Lautaret, he blew up. Andy didn't worry about that because he knows that true deeds, in cycling, always see one man crossing the finish-line alone after challenging bad luck, tough climbs and pain.
When the gap between Schleck the Younger and the group of the yellow jersey became an abyss made of 4 minutes, his rivals started to react. Evans, the tough Aussie who's lost two Tours de France in the last 5 years, decided to fight back as soon as he saw that also this time the Tour was slippng out of his reach. Without receiving any help from Voeckler, Cadel pulled and pulled. The comparison between him and Schleck was unfair: Evans in fact started pulling with 20 kms to go, when Andy had been on the move already for 40 kms. However, Galibier is a Giant who likes braveness and that knows how to reward it: Andy the Brave (yes, this time he really deserves this nickname) was the first rider in the history of cycling to triumph on its peaks, he was the first one to come out of the mist and raise a rageous fist to the sky, from which his former teammate Wouter probably looked down and smiled.
Frank Schleck, brother of Andy (and, this time, their brotherhood was something to be proud of, and not an obstacle to their chances of winning the Tour), crossed the finish-line in 2nd, thus entering in the history of cycling and in the history of his country: two Luxembourgian at the start of the Tour, two Luxembourgians on the top of Galibier. Evans, worn out but still full of grit and rage, was 3rd, whereas a super Voeckler gave it all once again and managed to hold on to his yellow jersey (which becomes even more yellow day after day) for just 15". This afternoon the whole France applauded that boy - but the whole cycling worlds applauded also the lanky Luxembourgian who found the braveness to attack with 60 kms to go, thus trying to change the story of this Tour with a deed that would perfectly suit someone like Coppi.
As Thomas Voeckler rejoiced, Evans chased his breathe and his rage and Schleck couldn't believe what he had done, Ivan Basso and Damiano Cunego crossed the finish-line, making a whole country proud of them. In the meantime, others were struggling: Samuel Sanchez broke his tank of energy with a few kms to go, whereas the king Alberto Contador lost 4'. Galibier wanted a hero to win on his top and he was a severe judge for the Spanish champion, who had faced the French roads after his Giro.
Right now, Its Majesty the Galibier is moved by what the riders did in order to reach its top. Tomorrow, however, it'll be ready to pass on the baton to Her Majesty Alpe d'Huez. But first, the riders will have to give their hommage to the Giant once again, before the rocks of that mountain will finally be able to fall asleep once again, helped by the silence of the altitude.
