Luxemburger's late attack on the road to Avoriaz takes stage win and initiative in the race to Paris
Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) won the eighth stage of the Tour de France between Station des Rousses and Morzine-Avoriaz on the first true mountain stage of the race. He outsprited Olympic champion Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) after the pair of them escaped a very select group of riders on the final tough climb to the finish. Robert Gesink (Rabobank) led the group over the line, 10 seconds behind the winning pair at the end of the 189km Alpine stage.
The gloves well and truly came off as the Tour moved into the Alps, putting an end to the overall ambitions of more than one hopeful.
“I take some really good morale from knowing that I could attack and not have Contador follow me,” said Schleck at the finish. “Maybe he takes it the other way but I’m happy. For me it’s a fantastic stage win – everything worked out to be perfect. It’s hard but the team can have confidence in me and I promise to them that I’ll fight until Paris – I’ll fight until I fall off my bike.
The 25-year-old still holds the white jersey in the young riders’ classification, but is now just 20 seconds away from the overall lead. “I hope you’ll see me in the yellow jersey as soon as possible but I predict… ah, the Pyrenees.
Schleck’s teammate Jakob Fuglsang managed to stay with him until the lower slopes of the final climb, but there is no question that he misses the company of his favourite teammate. “It’s been a really good day but I admit: I miss my brother when I’m riding up there at the front of the peloton and I’m suffering and hurting,” he said; elder Schleck brother Fränk was forced to abandon the race on stage 3 after crashing on the cobbles and breaking his collarbone.
“I wasn’t suffering too badly today,” Schleck continued. “I feel really good. I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again, I have the best shape of my life. I showed at the end that I have some punch. I have good power now and I have to remind myself, ‘Don’t be stupid and stuff it up’. I have to try and get the maximum out of myself and get the yellow jersey.
“It’s step-by-step,” he said of the race’s remaining stages. “I’m happy with the stage win. I’ll enjoy that tonight. Tomorrow is a rest day and then we will go for our next target. It’s a long way to Paris and I know I can’t follow wheels like I did today if I want to win this Tour. I have to get more active and get time out of my rivals. I’m ready for that.”
A nervous start to the stage saw a crash in the first 6km bring down a number of riders, including Lance Armstrong (RadioShack), World champion Cadel Evans (BMC Racing), currently in second place overall, and polka-dot mountains jersey wearer Jérôme Pineau (Quick Step). All riders managed to remount and continue, but both of those big name riders paid a visit to the race doctor’s car for treatment.
After a number of unsuccessful moves, Mario Aerts (OmegaPharma-Lotto) finally managed to successfully escape after 27km. The Belgian was joined by Benoit Vaugrenard (Française des Jeux), Christophe Riblon (AG2R-La Mondiale), Sebastien Minard and Amael Moinard (both Cofidis), Imanol Erviti (Caisse d’Epargne) and Koos Moerenhout (Rabobank).
With Quick Step leading the peloton for yellow jersey Sylvain Chavanel (Quick Step) the leaders’ advantage grew steadily, until it stood at 7 minutes after 110km.
After 133km, as the race approached the base of the 1st category Col de la Ramez, the first big mountain pass of the Tour, the Rabobank and BMC Racing teams began to move their leaders forward. As the peloton exited a roundabout Armstrong came down once again; he was paced back to the peloton by the RadioShack team, but rips to the back of his jersey clearly showed that he had hit the road hard.
As the breakaway hit the bottom of the Ramez, with 50km to go, Moerenhout attacked the rest of the break. The Dutchman was caught by Aerts and Moinard and the three rode to the top together.
Bradley Wiggins’ (Team Sky), sensing that Armstrong was not riding strongly, sent his team to take control of the front of the peloton. The gap to the lead group began to reduce significantly, while the peloton steadily thinned as riders were unable to cope with the increased pace on the steep climb; 5km from the top of the climb Chavanel finally cracked and was dropped.
Schleck’s Saxo Bank took over with 4km to go to the top and less than a kilometre later Armstrong could hold on no longer. The former champion was paced by teammates Chris Horner and Janez Brajkovic, with a number of other riders latching on to the back, but he was clearly in trouble.
Seeing that Armstrong had been dropped, the Astana squad of defending champion Alberto Contador took control at the front and increased the pace further. The turquoise and yellow team succeeded in thinning the group out further until only around 25 riders remained; it approached the top of the climb reeling in the remains of the breakaway with just the three leaders remaining.
Aerts, Moerenhout and Moinard crossed the climb 2’05” ahead of the small peloton, by now reduced to around 25 riders, with the Armstrong group a further 1’10” behind.
On the descent a few riders managed to regain contact with what was left of the peloton, but Armstrong was unable to close the gap. Crossing the top of 3rd category Les Gets, the break was still 2’20” ahead with the Armstrong group at almost 4 minutes.
As Armstrong approached the top one of the Euskaltel-Euskadi riders in the group, Ivan Velasco, crashed in front of him as they took food bags from a member of team staff. The American didn’t actually come down this time, but he was forced to stop, his bike hit the ground, and he had to start off again.
As the breakaway trio crossed the final intermediate sprint of the day in Morzine, with just the 13.6km 1st category climb to the finish at Avoriaz to ride, it still held 1’40” over the peloton. Armstrong was now 2’25” behind most of his overall rivals, and just a little way up the climb the gap was quickly more than 3 minutes.
Contador’s Astana team continued to lead the peloton, which still contained all of the overall hopefuls but Armstrong. Alexandre Vinokourov began the climb on the front, but was not to last too long after having been dropped on the Col de la Ramez earlier, leaving Daniel Navarro leading with Contador on his wheel.
Luis Leon Sanchez found the pace too tough on the early part of the climb, and a few kilometres later the yellow jersey dreams of Canadian Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Transitions) were shattered as he too was dropped.
Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha) attacked and, despite his overall position, was allowed to go by Astana. The Spaniard gradually came back though as the high pace set was too much for him to resist.
Up front Moerenhout was dropped by the other two leaders, then with the peloton breathing down their necks Moinard left Aerts behind until he too was caught by the Navarro led peloton with just over 5km to go.
At 3.5km to go Wiggins, who’d previously been looking strong near the front of the group, was dropped by the relentless pace set by Navarro. Just a few hundred metres later though, the gap to Armstrong stood at 7’14”.
The front group was now reduced to Navarro and Contador, Evans, Andy Schleck, Roman Kreuziger and Ivan Basso (both Liquigas), Levi Leipheimer (RadioShack), Sanchez, Jurgen Van Den Broeck (OmegaPharma-Lotto), Michael Rogers (HTC-Columbia), Gesink and Denis Menchov (both Rabobank), Rodriguez and Carlos Sastre (Cervélo TestTeam).
Inside the final 2km, with most of the favourites watching one another, Kreuziger made a move but was quickly marked by the rest. The next to go was Van Den Broeck, quickly followed by Gesink; the Dutchman was quickly marked though by most of the Spanish riders in a preview of the football World Cup final between the Netherlands and Spain to be played later in the evening.
With 1km to go Rogers, who’d been struggling for a few kilometres, and Rodriguez were dropped; Gesink was continuing to push the pace at the front.
With 700 metres to go Schleck put in his attack; Contador tried to mark him, but was unable to follow and looked to the others to chase. Sanchez managed to jump after the Saxo Bank rider, but none of the others was able to get across and the Olympic champion led into the finish.
Schleck bided his time before coming around Sanchez to take the first Tour stage win of his career; the remainder of the group sprinted home 10 seconds behind them.
Chavanel (Quick Step) finally came in 11’40” down, and so World champion Evans moves into the race lead, taking his first yellow jersey since he lost it to Sastre on the road to Alpe d’Huez in 2008.
Armstrong limped in just behind Chavanel, his dreams of an eighth victory over.
Result stage 8
1. Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank
2. Samuel Sanchez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi
3. Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank @ 10s
4. Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Liquigas-Doimo
5. Alberto Contador (Spa) Team Astana
6. Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team
7. Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) OmegaPharma-Lotto
8. Levi Leipheimer (USA) Team RadioShack
9. Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas-Doimo
10. Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank
Standings after stage 8
1. Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team
2. Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank @ 20s
3. Alberto Contador (Spa) Team Astana @1’01”
4. Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) OmegaPharma-Lotto @ 1’03”
5. Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank @ 1’10”