Fränk and Andy Schleck have prepared specifically for this year's Tour de France and the first day in the high mountains showed that they are right on target. The older brother Fränk finished third, just ten seconds shy of the stage victory. He was 20 seconds ahead of Andy, who could sit on the wheels of Cadel Evans and Ivan Basso. Alberto Contador lost a further 13 seconds inside the final kilometer of the race.
The entire Leopard Trek team was dedicated to the operation yellow. "The plan was to make the whole race very hard beginning on the Tourmalet," says Fränk on the team's website. "The whole team was on the front pulling like hell. They did incredible work today." Joost Posthuma, Fabian Cancellara, Stuart O'Grady, Linus Gerdemann, Maxime Monfort and Jens Voigt led the Luxembourg train, with Jakob Fuglsang having an off-day and saving himself for later crucial moments in the race.
The pulling of Leopard Trek was bad news for the breakaway, but the team's goal was different. "We would see what happened with the general classification contenders and see what kind of selection we could make," says Andy.
It was work horse Jens Voigt who kept the pace up high on the long ascent of the Tourmalet. He continued to work on the flat section between the Tourmalet and the final climb up Luz Ardiden. "If I were the boss, I would make Jens sign for four more years," says a smiling Fränk Schleck. "He is so incredibly strong."
The German's pacemaking cut the lead group down to 20 riders. Andy and Fränk started repeated attacks, with Contador and Basso also trying to get away. But it was Fränk who was able to make the decisive move about 2.5 kilometers from the line. "Fränk was super strong," Andy notes. "His attack was perfectly timed. We knew that if we attacked left, right, left, right, they would eventually have to let one of us get away. That was the plan, and it's exactly what happened."
With his brother off the front, Andy was now in the comfortable situation to follow the wheels of the others. Damiano Cunego and, surprisingly, Contador were unable to keep the pace in the final kilometer. Fränk was storming up the mountain, setting his eyes on the leading duo of Samuel Sánchez and Jelle Vanendert. He came within a few seconds. "It's too bad that I didn't reach the two guys out front," says Fränk. "They sprinted when they knew I was coming. I wanted to win the stage, but there will be other opportunities."
Despite the good outcome, the younger of the Schlecks remains cautious. "The time Contador lost today won't make a difference in Paris," Andy explains. "He is a great champion, and he knows tomorrow is another day. He could come back and have a super strong day to put time into his rivals."