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Australia's Gerrans wins 15th stage of Tour as Schleck takes yellow jersey |
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Written by Jamey Keaten, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Sunday, 20 July 2008 |
Simon Gerrans of Australia reacts as he crosses the finish line to win the 15th stage of the Tour de France cycling race between Embrun, France, and Prato Nevoso, Italy, Sunday July 20, 2008. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Christophe Ena
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PRATO NEVOSO, Italy - Frank Schleck of Luxembourg seized the overall lead in the Tour de France on Sunday, drawing on his strength in the mountains and getting an assist from his brother as the three-week race headed into the Italian Alps.
"For me to take the yellow jersey, it's a childhood dream," Schleck said.
Cycling's premier event got a new leader on a day when Simon Gerrans of Australia won the 15th stage. It was his first stage victory in four Tour appearances, and he called it a "beautiful thing."
Riders battled three climbs, including a 20.5-kilometre ride up the Agnel pass - an ascent so tough it defies classification in cycling's rating system - and an uphill finish at the end of the 183-kilometre trek from Embrun, France, to Prato Nevoso, Italy.
Schleck, who came into the stage just one second behind Cadel Evans, sped ahead at the uphill finish to wrest the yellow jersey from the Australian rider. Schleck leads Bernhard Kohl of Austria by seven seconds, while Evans slipped to third, eight seconds back.
Schleck credited CSC teammate and younger brother Andy for surging ahead at least twice during the final climb in a bid to force Evans to work hard.
"Thanks, bro," Frank Schleck said.
Schleck has had success before in the Alps, winning a Tour stage in 2006 up the famed Alpe d'Huez, which riders will face Wednesday. He now wants to build his lead in the mountains, knowing that Evans will likely be stronger in the time-trial on the next-to-last stage before the July 27 finish in Paris.
Moving beyond a string of doping scandals, cycling's showcase race got even tighter as it moved into the third and final week. Five riders are within 49 seconds of the race leader - up from three before Stage 15 started. Six riders have now worn the yellow jersey this year.
Some riders sensed that Evans wasn't at his best Sunday.
"On a hilltop finish like this you don't need to have magic, you just got to have a strong team on the front," said CSC rider Jens Voigt. "Do hard tempo on the last climb, and our leaders take care of business. Put the hammer down basically."
Evans, who has said his team isn't the strongest in the mountains, came under repeated attack.
On the final climb, Denis Menchov of Russia, who is seen as a top title candidate, skidded off his bike on a sharp turn while leading one attack - but got back up and still finished 27 seconds ahead of Evans.
Menchov is fourth overall, 38 seconds back, followed by American rider Christian Vande Velde, 39 seconds behind. Spain's Carlos Sastre - also on Team CSC - trails by 49 seconds.
Gerrans, of the Credit Agricole team, led a four-man group that broke away from the main pack early in the stage and clocked four hours 50 minutes, 44 seconds to beat Spain's Egoi Martinez in second by three seconds. U.S. rider Danny Pate was third, 10 seconds behind.
"It was a big surprise for me," said Gerrans in French, adding that he believed Martinez and Pate were generally better climbers than he is. A Tour stage win "is the most beautiful thing in cycling - I'm very happy."
The race lost two notable riders - Spain's Oscar Pereiro and Britain's Mark Cavendish.
Pereiro, the 2006 winner, broke his shoulder when he crashed over a guard rail during a sharp turn. He was injured about 80-kilometres into the stage and was taken to a hospital in Cuneo. X-rays showed a complex fracture of his left shoulder, the race doctor said. Pereiro won the Tour two years ago after Floyd Landis was stripped of his title for doping.
Cavendish, a sprinter who won four stages in this race, pulled out before a day of mountain racing. His team said he was fatigued and the Alps posed too big an obstacle. Cavendish will now concentrate on next month's Olympics.
Riders take the second rest day on Monday before two more gruelling stages in the Alps, starting with a 157-kilometre ride from Cuneo to Jausiers, France on Tuesday that features two "beyond category" climbs.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 20 July 2008 )
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