Courageous Schleck ascends to new heights

CYCLING TOUR DE FRANCE:ON THE highest finish in the history of the Tour de France, Andy Schleck ascended to the plateau of greatness. All previous doubts concerning the 26-year-old Luxembourg rider's courage and judgment were dispelled by a majestic attack that vindicated his supporters, disarmed his critics and earned the gratitude of neutrals who had been waiting for the explosive gesture that would define the 98th edition of the race.

Coming home just over two minutes ahead of his nearest pursuer at the end of a 200km stage from the Italian Piedmont town of Pinerolo and included three climbs above 2,300 metres, Schleck reshaped the contest.

Amid the peaks of the Hautes-Alpes the runner-up of 2009 and 2010 came within 15 seconds of tearing the yellow jersey off the shoulders of Thomas Voeckler, whose finish in fifth came after yet another epic of resilience.

While Alberto Contador blew up and Samuel Sanchez faded, Cadel Evans provided the other heroic performance of the day with a desperate chase of the younger Schleck, gritting his teeth and towing the yellow jersey group up the final climb to cut in half what had been, with 10km to go, a lead of four minutes. Without Evans’ unassisted effort, Schleck might well have opened up enough of a lead to take to Paris.

Yesterday’s victory, in the first finish at the 2,645m summit of the Col du Galibier, celebrated the first assault on the Alps in 1911. But making history afresh was the point of the day. This was the Tour’s Queen stage, as it is called, featuring the highest point of the race as the riders passed over the 2,774m Col d’Agnel before going on to tackle the 2,360m Col d’Izoard and then the mighty Galibier. The most daunting parcours the race’s planners could devise.

And with 60km to go, with 15 riders from various breaks still up ahead and with the battle between the contenders for overall victory seemingly locked in a stalemate, Andy, the younger Schleck, accelerated away from the peloton.

A response came from Pierre Rolland, Voeckler’s faithful domestique, who dropped back when he realised no one else had followed. Calculations had been made, words were being exchanged between the riders and their team bosses, and Schleck was allowed to make his escape.

Over the next hour the degree of planning involved in the attack became clear. Two riders from Schleck’s Leopard-Trek team were in the groups ahead of him, and the first to fall back was the Dutch rider Joost Posthuma, who helped him up the last and steepest section. Once over the top, Schleck was joined by his Belgian colleague Maxime Monfort, who led him through the fast sweeps of the descent, thus compensating for one of his leader’s weaknesses. With Monfort demonstrating the line and the speed, Schleck was able to join the remaining members of the original breaks before shedding them all and taking the lead before the start of the Galibier.

For 50km, the peloton declined to respond. On the way up to the Col du Lautaret, which precedes the Galibier, Evans made the pace and showed his frustration when no one came forward to help. With 10km he decided to go it alone.

Contador and Sanchez, compatriots with different teams, shared words at the back of the group. Sanchez would drift back before Contador, with only 1.5km to go, suddenly fell away, finishing almost four minutes behind the winner.

Ivan Basso and Damiano Cunego, the Italians in contention for victory, made no move. Only Voeckler, with a position to defend, and Frank Schleck, protecting his brother’s interests, could be excused for declining to share the Australian’s burden.

With his head down so low he was practically chewing the stem, Evans ground vital seconds away from Schleck’s lead. His reward, as he reached the finish, was to have limited the winner’s gains.

But he was forced to watch Frank Schleck nip in front in the last metres to snatch second place and complete the first Luxembourg one-two in Tour history, while the brothers vaulted over him to lie behind Voeckler in the general classification.

So gruelling was the stage only 78 riders finished within the stipulated 120 per cent of the winner’s time. The judges took pity on the stragglers, imposing penalties instead of excluding them. Mark Cavendish, who finished in a gruppetto of 80 riders, was docked 20 points, reducing his lead over his rival for the green jersey, Jose Joaquin Rojas, from 35 to 15.

Sky’s Rigoberto Uran stayed in the yellow jersey group for most of the day, despite crashing on the descent of the Izoard. He was dropped on the Galibier, however, and lost the best young rider’s white jersey to Rein Taaramae, the Estonian leader of Cofidis.

To win a yellow jersey, bearing in mind Evans’ almost certain superiority in tomorrow’s time trial, Schleck may have to do all it again today, on a shorter stage that crosses the Galibier from the other direction before finishing on the Alpe d’Huez, the ultimate killing ground.

Guardian Service