Schleck Climbs to 8th at Paris-Nice
March 15, 2007
Fränk Schleck racing in the prologue to Paris-Nice.
It wasn’t quite the day that Team CSC was hoping for, but Fränk Schleck posted a solid result in Thursday’s decisive climbing stage in Paris-Nice to move solidly into the top 10.
Schleck didn’t have the legs to respond when Spanish rider Alberto Contador (Discovery Channel) attacked with about one kilometer to go in the 3.1-kilometer summit finish at the end of the 169.5-kilometer fourth stage from Maurs to Mende.
Schleck crossed the line sixth at 28 seconds back and bounced to eighth overall at 42 seconds behind new race leader Davide Rebellin (Gerolsteiner). Bobby Julich, the 2005 Paris-Nice winner, finished 39th while Andy Schleck was very strong at 15th.
“Frank told us on the radio his legs didn’t feel great. It’s nothing serious, but sometimes that just happens in cycling,” said Team CSC sport director Alain Gallopin. “Normally, Fränk would be in the top three, no problem, in a climb like this.”
Schleck’s disappointment in the bumpy stage across France’s rural Massif Central reveals just how far the Luxembourg rider has developed. A top 10 finish would normally be reason to celebrate, but the stakes are higher following his breakthrough 2006 season that saw wins at the Amstel Gold Race and a stage at the Tour de France.
“Frank isn’t too worried about it,” Gallopin continued. “He came to Paris-Nice to continue building his form for April. His most important races in the spring come next month in the Ardennes. We still have three days before Nice. Maybe we can move up in the GC or win another stage.”
Team CSC did its fair share of work to help reel in a three-man breakaway that tore away early in the stage. Christian Vande Velde helped drive the pace to neutralize the attack on the final climb towering above Mende’s classic cathedral.
“We kept Frank out of the wind today and the pace was really fast,” said Vande Velde, competing in his first European race of the season after debuting at the Tour of California. “The pace was hammering up that final valley. It reminded me a lot of the approach last year in the Tour to the Pyrenees – steady climbing but fast.”
Three more hilly stages await the peloton in France’s annual “Race to the Sun.” Racing continues Friday with the 178-kilometer fifth stage from Sorgues to Manosque across France’s scenic Provence region.
“There is still some room to attack,” Andy Schleck said. “It’s not finished yet.”
Tirreno-Adriatico Update
In other racing action, Russian rider Alexander Arekeev (Acqua & Sapone) held off the peloton in a long breakaway in Thursday’s second stage at Tirreno-Adriatico to win and grab the overall lead. Stuart O’Grady and Jens Voigt finished safely in the main pack to remain in contention. The “Race of Two Seas” continues Friday with the 213-kilometer third stage from Marsciano to Macerata.