Schleck brothers protest the cobbles
The third stage of the 2010 Tour de France set the tone of bad luck and unpredictability that has plagued this year’s race. Despite the very different results Andy Schleck finishing in fifth place and Frank Schleck having to leave the race in an ambulance, the brothers agree that the cobblestones do not belong in the Grand Tour.
"Those who plan the Tour route have no right to play with the riders' lives just to have a spectacular race," said Frank.
Andy, who partially owes his 41 second overall lead ahead of runner-up Alberto Contador to his performance in the cobbled stage, his older brother, a pre-Tour favourite, now has to watch on television while his brother sports the yellow jersey, nursing a broken collarbone. When Frank voiced his discontent with the organizers to the press, Andy was quick to agree.
Stage "doesn't fit"
"A stage like that doesn't fit the Tour de France,” said Andy. “For me it was a good stage though. I prepared for it well and managed to get a good result. But for those who want to ride the cobbles there's Paris-Roubaix, but that's their choice. It shouldn't be in the Tour de France."
The 213km stage 3 from Belgium to France dramatically changed the commentators’ perspective of how the Tour could be expected to shape up. Pre-Tour favourites, like Frank, fell well behind or disappeared completely, while a new list of jersey hopefuls began to form. The seven cobbled sections of the third stage were expected to create some time gaps, but by the end of the day the peloton was split over an 11 minute stretch, with only six riders finishing in the leading group.
Sylvain Chavanel lost his yellow jersey after two punctured tires and nearly four minutes lost on the cobbles. Contador and Armstrong fell off the map for a while, and outside contenders Ivan Basso, Michael Rogers and Robert Gesink pretty much lost their chances to contend for the podium
Andy Schleck, Fabian Cancellara, and Cadel Evans were the only leading contenders to finish the stage in a good position, but Cancellara has fallen out of touch in the mountains and Evans suffered an elbow fracture which ended his bid for the throne. Contador has climbed back up the latter, and now stands with Andy as the only pre-Tour favourites still leading.
"I went well over the cobbles and that makes me a more complete rider,” said Andy. “Contador won the time trial last year. But you need to come with the best over the climbs to win the Tour, that's for sure."
Andy plans to climb with the best in the summit finish of Friday’s stage 12. He has predicted a group-of-five finish to a very difficult stage, an opportunity for the race leaders to leave their mark before the Pyrenees. The general classification contenders took a relaxed day in preparation for the summit and the series of intense stages to follow. Many of the favourites were seen chatting casually in the comfortable speeds of the peloton. Andy spoke at length to Contador, whom he maintains a friendship with despite the competition, and Armstrong gave Andy a LiveStrong bracelet, saying it matched his jersey.
“I expect Contador to attack on the final climb tomorrow but I also believe I can match him. It will be quite similar to the stage up to Morzine-Avoriaz, and there’s a possibility to make a difference. I’m focused on tomorrow’s stage. I like that climb up to Mende. It’s quite steep and hard. If I have the punch that I had a few days ago, I think I can still manage it well – or at least not lose time and maybe even gain time – and maybe win the stage. And the yellow jersey? Well, I have to keep it. There’s no option for that,” said Andy.
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