Euskaltel-Euskadi has had a very good Tour de France so far, with the Samuel Sánchez stage victory in Luz Ardiden the highlight. His teammate Rubén Pérez gives it a go in every break he can and today was no exception. Pérez tried to escape his companions a long way from the finish, but was reeled in about 16 kilometers from the line.
Sánchez, known as a good descender, joined Alberto Contador in a quest to take out time of their rivals in the fight for the overall classification. Their move was brought back just before the finish, though race leader Thomas Voeckler was put on the defensive and lost time after twice leaving the road. "This was a tough day," Sánchez said. "In the Tour I haven't had an easy day yet." Despite being the mellowest of the three days in the high mountains of the Alps, the racing was animated. "These kinds of stages are very demanding. We are in the third week, the finals are nervous and every time you cross the line without any mishap, you feel a big relief."
Sánchez sits 1'37 away from a podium spot in the overall classification. "Tomorrow a decisive stage awaits us," he declared. "I am feeling well and the best is that we have fulfilled our duties." The stage victory ten years after Roberto Laiseka won the first-ever Tour de France stage for the Basque team was more than they had hoped for. "It is up to others to make a move - those who have the top as the objective." Sánchez showed today that he is still capable of pushing hard and has seemingly not given up yet to improve on his fifth place overall.
Pérez finally was voted the most combative rider of the stage, after several tries in various breaks of the day. "I made a strong solo move from far out," Pérez said. That wasn't the plan though. "It is a pity that nobody wanted to follow me," he said. Pérez went clear on the climb to Sestrière, wanting to reduce the group of 14 to a smaller number.
Instead of the combativity prize, he had set his sights on a stage victory. "With more riders ahead and a bit of disconcert in the back..." He didn't finish the sentence about a possible second stage win for the Basque team. "I am content that they gave me the combative prize of the day," he said. He had been in a break almost half a dozen times and he finally was rewarded for his efforts. "For the past five years I have been very aggressive - in this very Tour I was in a break five times."
While missing out on the stage victory, he was able to bathe in the public's applause for his time on the front. "It is a nice prize and I enjoyed going up to the podium of the Tour to collect it," he said.