Upbeat Schleck Overcomes Crash
Andy Schleck, the obvious favourite to win the white jersey (young riders classification) and a serious contender for the overall title in this year’s Tour de France, recovered from a crash during Stage 2 of the Tour on Monday.
Crashing into Team Sky’s Bradley Wiggins, another contender for the overall win, and other riders, Schleck came close to ending his hopes of winning this year’s Tour.
The slippery Belgian roads proved an obstacle to many riders during Stage 2 on Monday. Schleck crashed three hours into the race, later claiming to have hit a patch of spilled oil.
Having lost over four minutes on the peleton due to his tumble, Schleck eventually managed to re-join his team and the main grouping after some exemplary teamwork. Unable to locate his bick immediately after the crash, Schleck was helped by his Danish teammate Matti Breschel.
"There was nothing to do, there was something like oil was on the road. I crashed and I couldn't find my bike, so I got Matti Breschel's bike. I went 100 metres further and I crashed again," Schleck said to Cycling Weekly after the race, which he was able to complete with no serious injuries sustained.
"I had crashed on the right side so I thought I got to get some scratches on the left too, otherwise I am going to look stupid," he said, clearly managing to keep his spirits up despite the crash.
It was exemplary team work that led to Schleck's recovery. Sacrificing his own overall lead, yellow jersey holder Fabian Cancarella slowed the pace down of Team Saxo Bank to allow Schleck the time to catch up to the group.
With help from older brother Frank Schleck and Jens Voigt, who shielded Andy Schleck from the wind, he was able to catch up and finish 82nd, 3 minutes and 56 seconds behind stage winner Sylvain Chavanel, who overtook the yellow jersey from Cancarella.
After the race, Schleck told the press that he did not believe he had fractured any bones and that he finished the stage without excessive pain.
Schleck will hope that his minor injuries are not aggravated during the cobbled sections of Tuesday’s Stage 3, which runs from Wanze in Belgium to Arenberg Porte du Hainaut in northern France.
If injuries and serious crashes can be avoided, most expect 25 year-old Schleck to claim his third consecutive young riders classification in the Tour this year. He has previously won the same classification in 2007’s Giro d’Italia.
Having finished second overall in last year’s Tour, however, Schleck will be set on claiming the yellow jersey above all. Along with Team RadioShack’s Lance Armstrong and Team Astana’s Alberto Contador, he is one of the favourites to do so.
For Schleck, who has said he may stand the best chance of claiming the yellow jersey by winning time in the climbing stages and strategically protecting his position in the plain stages of the race, it will be crucial not to lose more time over the next few days of the Tour.
The climbing stages of the Tour begin during Stage 8 on July 11, with another five high-mountain stages set to test climbing specialists.
It is widely agreed that a Tour cannot be won without a spectacular climbing performance, and Schleck has shown signs rising to the occasion during the current season.
Having already beat Armstrong to the overall win in this year’s Tour de Suisse in May, treated by participants as a crucial warm-up race for the Tour in July, Schleck will be reassured that he has what it takes to win.
Schleck is currently in 85th place overall, 3 minutes and 19 seconds behind Armstrong in fourth place and trailing seventh-placed Contador by 3 minutes and 24 seconds.
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