Leopard Trek rider nets second victory of the day for new team
Showing that his Grand Tour form is building well, Frank Schleck was best of the big guns on stage one of Critérium International. The Luxembourg road race champion proved strongest on the opening stage of the race, attacking 8.3 kilometres from the finish at the Col de l’Ospedale, being joined by two others, then dropping them with two kilometres to go to solo home.
He rolled across the finish line waving his arms and kissing a medallion around his neck. It marked Leopard Trek’s second win of the day after Fabian Cancellara’s solo triumph in the E3 Prijs.
Russian rider Vasil Kiryienka took second, sixteen seconds back, while the third breakaway rider Rein Taaramäe (Cofidis) was a further six seconds behind. The Spaniard David Lopez (Team Movistar) was best of the rest, sprinting in 58 seconds back, just ahead of Alexandre Geniez (Skil-Shimano).
Schleck’s move followed two other surges on the last climb by his brother Andy. He accelerated twice inside the final nine kilometres, opening a gap but then appearing to ease back and allow the others to rejoin. The reason for the tactic became apparent when Frank Schleck kicked hard shortly afterwards, and drew steadily clear.
The aggressive racing on the final climb put several big names into difficulty. The second and third-placed riders from Paris-Nice, Andreas Klöden (Team RadioShack) and Bradley Wiggins (Sky Procycling) were both soon in trouble and conceding ground, while Alexandre Vinokourov (Team Astana) also suffered and went south.
All of those from fifth place back lost at least a minute. Sergey Lagutin (Vacansoleil-DCM) led in a group containing last year’s race winner Pierrick Fedrigo. The Française des Jeux rider picked up ninth but is clearly not in the same form as twelve months ago. He’ll start tomorrow’s stage one minute and ten seconds back, and has a lot to do.
For now at least, Schleck is in the driving seat. “I am here at Critérium International for an affirmation,” he smiled afterwards, making it clear that he wanted a good showing today. “I wasn’t bad at Paris-Nice and did a check up [of the climb] here on the Monday afterwards. I have trained well in these last two weeks and things went well today. This is a nice victory, the Critérium International is a great race. I am happy.”
His attack was aided by the aforementioned work by his brother, and also by an earlier attack by Leopard-Trek team-mate Jens Voigt. In Voigt’s interview with VeloNation’s Bjorn Haake yesterday, he said that he wanted to try to win the race for a record sixth time. He gambled everything on a move before the final climb, opening a gap on the peloton, but was hauled in on the draggy roads with 13 kilometres to go and then lost contact.
Schleck said that winning the stage was important after that. “Jens rode well earlier and this was a very nice victory for Leopard Trek,” he said. “Jens has won the race five times and wanted to take a sixth. That’s why it was important for me to try to do it for him, and for the team.
“I am not a time trial specialist but I am up there and I will do my best. I would be very happy if I can win the race and put it in the palmares of Leopard Trek.”
Aggressive start:
Despite – or perhaps because of – the tough finale, there were many attacks in the early part of the stage. The day’s first intermediate sprint came after 25 kilometres and there Jens Voigt took top points ahead of Mathieu Drujon (Big Mat – Auber 93) and Cédric Pineau (FDJ)
Eleven kilometres later, Yukihiro Doi (Skil – Shimano) was first to the top of the Côte de Roccapina. The second climb at the Cote d’Orasi (km 46.5) went to Pim Ligthart (Vacansoleil – DCM Pro Cycling Team) while ten kilometres later, bonus sprint number two was taken by Arnold Jeannesson (FDJ).
The day’s big break went away sixty kilometres after the start. It included Cédric Pineau (FDJ), Pim Ligthart (Vacansoleil-DCM), Julien Fouchard (Cofidis), Thomas Bonnin (Skil-Shimano), Dimitri Champion (Ag2r-La Mondiale) and Renaud Dion (Bretagne-Schuller). Twenty kilometres later, they opened a maximum lead of six minutes.
Dion won the prime on the Col de Celaccia (km 82), then Ligthart was best on the Col de St Eustache (km 102.5) and again on the Côte d’Aullene. This acted as a springboard for Voigt, who jumped clear 112 kilometres after the start and closed to within one minute 25 seconds by the top. He caught the leading six riders 13 kilometres later.
Voigt wasn’t happy with the pace being set and after 15 kilometres in the break, he jumped away again. Champion briefly stayed with him, then Voigt pushed on ahead, taking the mountain prime of the Col de Bacinu (km 156.5) one minute 40 seconds ahead of Champion. The peloton was a minute further back, and about to mop up the only other remaining person from the break, Ligthart.
Voigt gobbled up the sprint prime at Porto Vecchio, crossing that line one minute 50 seconds ahead of the next riders, then continued onwards towards the final climb. However the bunch was drawing closer to him and with 13 kilometres to go, Remy Di Gregorio (Astana) clipped away to catch and pass him.
Mountain showdown:
The Paris-Nice stage winner tried to build his lead on the Col de l’Ospedale but had a mere 20 seconds with ten kilometres remaining. He was caught a kilometre later, prompting an immediate attack by Andy Schleck. Di Gregorio’s team-mate Alexandre Vinokourov marked the move, and the rest of the contenders gradually got back in contact. One exception was Bradley Wiggins, who was dropped.
Schleck went again 8.8 kilometres from the line and this time the move looked a little more decisive. His surge was answered by just two riders yet, soon afterwards, the others were able to return. It became obvious he was simply trying to soften up the group when his brother Frank then attacked, being marked by Rein Taaramäe (Cofidis). They worked together, pulling gradually clear of all the others apart from a hard-chasing Vasil Kiryienka (Team Movistar).
With 6.1 kilometres remaining, Samuez Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) surged clear, sending Andreas Klöden (RadioShack) out the back and breaking up the chase group. Vinokourov, Christophe Le Mevel and his Garmin-Cervélo team-mate Ryder Hesjedal were also put into difficulty, conceding ground.
Sanchez was joined by David Garcia (Team Movistar) and Alexandre Geniez (Skil-Shimano), while soon afterwards Kiriyenka got across to Schleck and Taaramäe, making it three up front, three chasing behind, and the other contenders scattered further back. Sanchez would soon crack, though, being caught by those behind and eventually finishing 18th, one minute 48 seconds back.
In contrast, Schleck was feeling better as the climb continued and he attacked with 2.2 kilometres to go. He quickly got a gap, while behind Kiriyenka gapped Taaramäe 1.3 kilometres from the line and would go on to take second, 16 seconds back.
The net effect was a solid gap for Schleck, although with a 75 kilometre morning stage plus a seven kilometre afternoon time trial, he’s still got a battle ahead.