Fränk Schleck (Saxo Bank) won the second stage of the Tour of Luxembourg after attacking on the stage’s 9.4km finishing circuits with Matteo Carrara (Vacansoleil). The defending race champion beat Carrara in a two-man sprint, while Juan Antonio Flecha (Team Sky) led in a small chase group, which included Lance Armstrong (RadioShack), 35 seconds behind them.
Before the late attacks the inevitable long break of the day happened when Christian Poos (Differdange), Danilo Napolitano (Katusha), Anthony Roux (Française des Jeux), Paolo Longo Borghini (ISD-Neri) and Jorge Montenegro (Andalucia-CajaSur) got away in the early kilometres. The peloton, led by Team RadioShack and the Saur-Sojasun team of race leader Cyril Lemoine, allowed them to build a lead of more than five minutes before beginning to pull them back.
With 55km to go the five riders still held a lead of 3’30”, but they were caught in the first of the three 9.4km finishing circuits. Yesterday’s stage winner Giovanni Visconti (ISD-Neri) tried to get away but was quickly caught; on the second circuit though, on the 2km Col de Europe Schleck attacked, was followed by Carrara, and the two of them managed to get away.
Behind them a chase group formed, made up of Flecha, Armstrong and Andreas Klöden (both RadioShack), Sergey Lagutin and Björn Leukemans (both Vacansoleil), Patrik Sinkewitz (ISD-Neri), Alexandre Geniez, Mathieu Sprick (Bbox Bouyges Telecom) and Jeremy Roy (Française des Jeux). The leading duo had a gap of 30 seconds though and their pursuers could make little progress in hauling them in.
The pair managed to stay away and Schleck managed to take his first win of the year in front of an enthusiastic home crowd. Starting the day 14th overall, just 7 seconds behind Lemoine, Carrara moves into the race lead, 1 second ahead of Schleck. After finishing sixth on the stage Armstrong moves up to third overall, 30 seconds back.
Result stage 2
1. Fränk Schleck (Lux) Saxo Bank
2. Matteo Carrara (Ita) Vacansoleil
3. Juan Antonio Flecha (Spa) Team Sky @ 35s
4. Serguei Ivanov (Rus) Team Katusha
5. Björn Leukemans (Bel) Vacansoleil @ 36s
6. Lance Armstrong (USA) Team RadioShack
7. Alexandre Geniez (Fra) Skil-Shimano
8. Sergey Lagutin (Uzb) Vacansoleil @ 53s
9. Patrik Sinkewitz (Ger) ISD-Neri
10. Serge Pauwels (Bel) Team Sky
Standings after stage 2
1. Matteo Carrara (Ita) Vacansoleil
2. Fränk Schleck (Lux) Saxo Bank @ 1s
3. Lance Armstrong (USA) Team RadioShack @ 30s
4. Juan Antonio Flecha (Spa) Team Sky @ 34s
5. Serguei Ivanov (Rus) Team Katusha @ 34s