Sitting second overall, just 20 seconds off the yellow jersey of Cadel Evans, Team Saxo Bank rider Andy Schleck is quietly confident about his chances of becoming the first Luxembourg winner of the Tour since Charly Gaul in 1958.
The 2009 runner-up scored valuable psychological points when he jumped clear and won yesterday’s stage to Morzine-Avoriaz, outsprinting Olympic champion Samuel Sanchez. Importantly, his acceleration succeeded in shedding defending champion Alberto Contador (Astana), suggesting that if things continue in the same way, Schleck could top the podium in Paris.
Some said that he should have made his move sooner and gained more time, but he suggested that the timing was worked out beforehand. “I’ll do my thing, I have a plan and I'll follow to the end,” he told RMC Sport. “If all goes well, if I sleep well, if my health is good, I'm aiming big on this Tour.”
“Today I was fine, I had no problem in the last climb. I took things in hand at the end even though some have said I should have attacked earlier.”
There’s still nearly two full weeks left in the Tour de France and the obligation is now on Evans’ BMC Racing team to ride. That will suit Schleck well, as he can bid his time, spare his own team-mates, and then strike a little later on.
For that reason, it was important not to go too soon yesterday. He got ten seconds back on most of the other contenders (taking more out of Bradley Wiggins and Lance Armstrong, who crashed and cracked), and increased his lead over Alberto Contador to 41 seconds.
And while the Spaniard’s strength as a time trialist means Schleck will have to keep building his advantage, he was happy that the timing worked out as it did yesterday.
“I asked Breschel and Fuglsang to ride a little bit to put a little pressure, but why attack?” he said. “It was the first stage of the Alps, and the least difficult. Tuesday there is the Col de la Madeleine and then the Pyrenees. I'm glad with what I did.”
He and the rest of the team will ride today in order to ensure that they don’t stiffen up. He described rest days as ‘the hardest days’ in the race. While that’s not literally true, they are complicated in that it is important to get the right level of exercise without going overboard. The aim to strike the right balance, allowing the batteries to recharge but not doing so little that the body becomes stiff.
He’ll hope to get it precisely right, thus ensuring that he is raring to go again tomorrow.