Leopard Trek rider takes over race lead from teammate Fabian Cancellara

linus gerdemannLinus Gerdemann (Leopard Trek) won the second stage of the Tour of Luxermbourg between Schifflange and Differdange, after escaping his breakaway companions on the second of three 9.4km finishing circuits. The German finshed nine seconds ahead of Arthur Vichot (FDJ) and Jérémie Galland (Saur-Sojasun) at the end of the 200.7km stage.

After several unsuccessful attempts to escape, Martijn Keizer (Vacansoleil-DCM) and Javier Ramirez (Andalucia-Caja Granada) finally managed to escape the peloton. They were soon joined by Luxembourg rider Christian Poos (Differdange-Magic-sportfood.de), who had featured in the previous day’s stage, but was now racing towards his team’s hometown.

The three riders were allowed to build up a lead of 6’20” by the 50km mark; it was to increase slightly to 6’30” soon afterwards before the Leopard Trek team of Fabian Cancellara began to pull them back. The deficit as quickly reduced to around three minutes at the stage’s mid point, and the Luxembourg team continued to close the gap until they were caught with around 40km to go.

On the climb to Lasauvage, with 32km to go, the peloton split into several pieces, with stage one winner Denis Galimzyanov (Katusha) among those left behind. As the front group, containing Cancellara, crossed the line for the first time, with 28.2km to go, there was more than a minute to the next group, whose race for the stage appeared to be over.

The finishing circuit contained the climb of the Col de l’Europe, whose short, steep slopes would provide opportunities for breakaway riders; sure enough, on the first of three ascents Gerdemann escaped in the company of Jurgen Van Goolen (Verandas Willems-Accent) and Anthony Charteau (Europcar). The three of them opened up a lead of more than a minute on the front of the peloton, with Gerdemann’s Leopard Trek team allowing him to go away; the German former wearer of the Tour de France yellow jersey was now provisionally wearing that of the Tour of Luxembourg.

The second time up the Col de l’Europe Gerdemann attacked the other two and managed to get away on his own; he crossed the line with one lap to go 15 seconds ahead of Van Goolen and Charteau, with a small group of riders, including Vichot and Galland, 13 seconds behind them.

Despite catching up with Van Goolen and Charteau on the final lap, the chasing group was unable to pull back Gerdemann and the German held out to finish alone. Vichot led the group over just nine seconds behind him and, with Cancellara finishing more than three minutes in arrears, Gerdemann takes the race lead.