Frank Schleck leads Alberto Contador and brother Andy over the line to win and epic stage 17.The Alps provided a beautiful backdrop for an absolutely stunning stage. This was the hardest single day of the tour with 4 category 1 climbs and the best climbers certainly won the day, with Frank Schleck beating brother Andy and Alberto Contador over the line in Le Grand-Bornard. Full honours to Saxo Bank here, just like on Alp d'Huez last year they had a plan and they executed it to perfection. The brothers now sit 2 & 3, this might change after the time trial but it sets things up so that Contador is going to have to be on his game big time up Mount Ventoux on Saturday.
Post race Bjarne Riis said "We knew what we wanted with this stage, which was planned before the Tour even began, the plan was quite clear and simple: we were willing to put everything on the line and to explode the peloton."
That they did, they exploded the peleton and smashed all bar Alberto Contador.
The day started with the usual break, 10 men with KOM points on the Agenda, Pelizotti extended his lead in that classification by claiming the first climb before the ranks of the breakaway swelled to 22. On the descent of that first climb Thor Hushovd was off the front of the leaders, he would ride solo for some 90km cresting 2 climbs in first place (well ahead of pelizotti both times) and claimed both intermediate sprints to extend his lead over Cavendish to 30 points. After he crossed the second intermediate sprint point he sat up and took it easy for the rest of the day, his work was done.
This stage will be remembered though as the perfect day for Team Saxo Bank.
Behind Hushovd and the breakaway Team Saxo Bank were putting enormous pressure on the peleton thanks to Stuart O'Grady making one of his first appearances on the front end at the tour. Obviously planned he has bee waiting for this. Bet it is the same on Mount ventoux as well. The pressure from O'Grady dropped country man Cadel Evans on the Category 2 climb of the Cote d'araches - he is clearly suffering or making a point to his team. Former white jersey wearer Tony Martin (Columbia) was spat out the back with a host of other big names. The gap between Hushovd was quickly reduced as the breakaway group was swallowed up with Hushovd soon after.
On the third of today's five climbs the Astana riders went to the front and helped Team Saxo Bank tiring the peloton which kept getting smaller.
At the base of the Col de Romme, the second last climb, last year winner Carlos Sastre launched an attack that set the wheels in motion for the implosion of the main group. The Schleck brothers took over on the front and made short work of destroying all bar the elite, prior to the summit a group of 8 remained. Andy & Fränk Schleck (Team Saxo Bank), Armstrong, Contador and Kloden (Astana) Nibali (Liquigas) and Vande Velde and Wiggins (Garmin).
Andy Schleck then attacked, Contador and Kloden were able to go with him, they opened a small gap on the other 5 but you could sense Andy was waiting, Frank took a quick look at his group and summed them up, he would rather ride with his brother so off he went and bridged the gap making it the Schlecks against Contador and Kloden with a 1.20 advantage over the 4 in Armstrongs group.
Up they went over the last climb and thinks remained even until Contador launched an attack (the best form of defence? he really did not need to, just stay with them) but Andy and Fränk Schleck reacted rapidly and closed the gap but Contador managed to drop his teammate Andreas Kloden. Contador was isolated for the first time however i dont think the Schlecks were going to risk him riding off on them again.
On the final descent the Schleck-brothers increased the gap down to Klöden who was eventually picked up by Armstrong who again rode a great race, he attacked his group on the final climb and with Nibaldi was able to put valuable time into wiggins.
Contador did not work on the descent and no doubt the boys reached a gentleman's agreement that he would not contest the win which Andy (and Alberto) were happy to give to Frank. Franks second Tour stage after Alp d'Huez in 2006 and the third stage victory for Team Saxo Bank in this year's edition.
That was an epic, however the stage to mount Ventoux on Saturday is going to go off like a bomb.
Full Results
1 Fränk Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank 4:53:54
2 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana
3 Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank
4 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas 0:02:18
5 Lance Armstrong (USA) Astana
6 Andreas Klöden (Ger) Astana 0:02:27
7 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Garmin - Slipstream 0:03:07
8 Christophe Moreau (Fra) Agritubel 0:04:09
9 Christian Vande Velde (USA) Garmin - Slipstream
10 Rémi Pauriol (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne 0:06:10
General classification after stage 17
1 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana 72:27:09
2 Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank 0:02:26
3 Fränk Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank 0:03:25
4 Lance Armstrong (USA) Astana 0:03:55
5 Andreas Klöden (Ger) Astana 0:04:44
6 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Garmin - Slipstream 0:04:53
7 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas 0:05:09
8 Christian Vande Velde (USA) Garmin - Slipstream 0:08:08
9 Christophe Le Mevel (Fra) Française des Jeux 0:09:19
10 Mikel Astarloza Chaurreau (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 0:10:50
Mountains classification
1 Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas 196 pts
2 Egoi Martinez De Esteban (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 118
3 Pierrick Fedrigo (Fra) BBOX Bouygues Telecom 97
Points classification
1 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Cervelo Test Team 230 pts
2 Mark Cavendish (GBr) Team Columbia - HTC 200
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