WITH ALBERTO CONTADOR’s attack on the Col du Manse ratcheting up the tension in this year’s battle for the general classification yesterday, Andy Schleck looks to have emerged as the stage’s big loser.
Having drifted a further 45 seconds from race leader Thomas Voeckler and seen his advantage over Contador halved to an unnerving, if not insignificant, 39 seconds, the pre-race favourite admitted to being “disappointed” but claimed “there are other chances to take back time”.
His brother, Frank, claimed that the pair’s Leopard Trek team had been surprised by Contador’s aggression:
“We were a bit surprised that Contador went on the climb,” Frank Schleck said. “We know that he is a rider that attacks when he has good legs, but we had anticipated he would wait for the Alps.”
Never the most graceful of fluent riders on the downhill sections, the Schlecks must now face a descent Andy has previously referred to as being “fatally dangerous” during today’s 179km ride to Pinerolo:
“The final descent from the Pramartino pass is ridiculous. It’s nothing but a track across a wood. The Pinerolo finish is ominous. I rode down this hill three times in training and I already found it too risky. It is fatally dangerous. It if rains, several riders will again end up in hospital.”
Should Contador, or any of the other GC contenders for that matter, decide to attack, a loss of further seconds looks an inevitability.
It’s been a bad week for the Schlecks, who took to Twitter last Saturday to protest the intensity with which they were being monitored by the UCI. Andy was particularly unhappy with the absurdity of his being forced to carry urine samples through the crowded restaurant of his team hotel:
– additional reporting AP
