Andy Schleck Tour Runner-Up and Best Young Rider On SRAM RED LTE

2010 Tour de France Sunday 25 July
Stage 20: Longjumeau Paris Champs-Élysées 102.5 km
Alberto Contador took Spain’s 13th victory in 97 editions of the Tour de France when he clinched up his third win on Sunday after wins in 2007 and 2009. Post race, Contador said “It is a Tour in which I had a lot of pressure, especially physically as I was not at my best level. It took a lot of confidence to face difficult situations. For example, everyone said I had already won the Tour after the stage to the Tourmalet. But we saw yesterday, in the race against the clock, that it was not fully played out. Today is therefore a great relief for me, it is a moment that I feel like I’ve been liberated from all the pressure.

“The three wins are all very different. The first, in 2007, had something special, precisely because that was the first. Last year, the context was difficult and this made it difficult. And this year I have had difficult moments, but I could count on a strong team. I realize that each year I gain in experience. I know better manage a team throughout the race. “Now I am happy to enjoy this victory and I’ll take a good vacation.”

Second in his second Tour in 2009 by 4’11”, this time, Andy Schleck is second by just 39”, the fifth smallest margin between winner and runner-up in the history of the race. Schleck said post race in Paris “It’s a completely different feeling to when I came second in 2009. I got up there and look at the yellow jersey now and I realize I was so close – but in the end it’s so far away. I almost had it. I wore yellow for six days and I’m more than sure that I want to do better. I have an appointment on the Champs-Elysées next year with the yellow jersey. I’ll be back to win it.

“Right now it’s a bit difficult to understand all that’s happened because I’m in the middle of it all. It’s better to see from the outside. The people I’ve spoken to who have looked on say it’s been a really beautiful Tour and now I really need some time in the next week to sit back and maybe take it all in.

“I’m not going to watch the replays. I don’t want to watch myself on TV – I’m not in love with myself. But I have to enjoy it a little bit. “I’m not going to brew on the 39 seconds. I’m finished thinking about that. It’s behind me now. It’s pretty funny though because yesterday when I finished the time trial, I said to my room-mate Nicki [Sorensen], ‘If I lose, I hope it’s like 45 or 50 seconds.’ I told him that I hoped it wasn’t going to be 39 seconds. I get to the hotel at the end of the stage and he reminds me that it’s 39 seconds. Ah well, it’s over and it’s lost. Right now I don’t know what’s going to change but we’ll all find out soon enough.”

The 20th stage over 102.5km from Longjumeau to the Champs-Elysées in Paris began with 170 riders on an overcast, mild day of 22 degrees Celsius. The start was delayed because SRAN RED equipped RadioShack tried to wear black jerseys with “28” on the back, representing the 28 million people around the world living with cancer. However, the UCI officials would not make an exception and insisted that RadioShack change back to their official team strips in accordance with the race rules. Not only did the nine riders from RadioShack that won the team classification have to replace their jerseys, they also had to ensure their race numbers were properly pinned on. This requirement caused a long delay in proceedings on the day that Lance Armstrong says will be his final day of Tour de France competition.
As usual on the final stage of the Tour de France, the part of the stage was a cruise fest, with the tourist pace of 25km covered in the first hour and as the peloton entered the streets of Paris, it was the SRAM RED equipped Astana team of Maillot Jaune Alberto Contador which led the way onto the Champs-Elysees. As usual a break got away with 11 riders including SRAM RED equipped Chris Sorensen (SAXO BANK), Chris Riblon (Ag2r) and Chris Knees (Milram) who gained a maximum gain of 25”, but HTC-Columbia, Sky and Katusha pulled them back and Cavendish took the sprint.

SRAM RED LTE equipped Maillot Jaune Alberto Contador (Astana) finished the Tour’s final stage in 81st and there was no change to the top order of the general classification. Contador is the ninth rider to win three Tour titles at the Tour. Contador didn’t win a stage in 2010 but he finished 39” ahead of SRAM RED LTE equipped Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank), the best young rider for the third consecutive year and Tour runner-up for the second year.

Stage Twenty Results
1. Mark Cavendish (GBr) HTC-Columbia 2h42’21”
6. Gerald Ciolek (Ger) Team Milram (SRAM RED)
7. Thor Hushovd (Nor) Cervelo Test Team (SRAM RED)
8. Matti Breschel (Den) Team Saxo Bank (SRAM RED)

2010 Tour de France Final General Classification
1. Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana 91h58’48” (SRAM RED/ZIPP)
2. Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank @ 1’39” (SRAM RED/ZIPP)
10. Chris Horner (USA) Team Radioshack @ 12’02”
13. Levi Leipheimer (USA) Team Radioshack @ 14’40” (SRAM RED)
14. Andreas Klöden (Ger) Team Radioshack @ 16’36” (SRAM RED)
15. Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La Mondiale @ 16’59” (SRAM RED)
16. Alexander Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana @ 17’46” (SRAM RED/ZIPP)
19. John Gadret (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale @ 24’04” (SRAM RED)
23. Lance Armstrong (USA) Team Radioshack @ 39’20”

Final Points classification
3. Thor Hushovd (Nor) Cervelo Test Team 222 (SRAM RED/ZIPP)
8. Gerald Ciolek (Ger) Team Milram 126 (SRAM RED)
10. Lloyd Mondory (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 119 (SRAM RED)

Final Young riders classification
1. Andy Schleck (Lux) Saxo Bank 91h59’27” (SRAM RED/ZIPP)
6. Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Saxo Bank @ 1h37’53” (SRAM RED/ZIPP)
7. Rafael Valls Ferri (Spa) Footon-Servetto @ 1h41’48” (SRAM RED)

Final Team Classification
1. Team Radioshack 276h02’03” (SRAM RED)
4. Ag2R La Mondiale @ 41’10” (SRAM RED)
6. Astana @ 56’16” (SRAM RED/ZIPP)
12. Team Saxo Bank @ 2h25’02” (SRAM RED/ZIPP)
19. Cervelo Test Team @ 3h51’56” (SRAM RED/ZIPP)
20. Footon-Servetto @ 5h15’36” (SRAM RED)
22. Team Milram @ 6h05’41” (SRAM RED)