The Tour is decided today in the 42,5 km time trial in Grenoble. Three candidates for the final victory collected in just 57 seconds after almost 3.400 kilometres: among them there is no favorite at the start, Alberto Contador who should perform a miracle against the clock to recover the 3 minutes and 55 seconds gap from the new jersey yellow Andy Schleck. In the standings the Spanish ace, despite having recovered something in yesterday's stage, is sixth in the standings. Between him and Andy Schleck are Frank Schleck (second at 53 seconds from his brother), the Australian Cadel Evans (third at 57 seconds), the ex yellow jersey Thomas Vockler and also, an absolute nice surprise for the Italian pedal, Damiano Cunego (fifth at 3'31”).
Worse than Contador among the big names there is only our Basso. This is the ranking drawn by the Alps after two stages which were the best spot to revive the charm of the Tour after the colorless passage over the Pyrenees. The Galibier on Thursday, the Alpe d'Huez yesterday found the interpreters capable of giving cycling back that epic figure that made it a legendary sport. Andy Schleck's breakaway on the Izoard, crashing Contador, brought back memories of other solo climbs, those of another Luxembourger, Charly Gaul, one of the greatest grimpeurs of all time, winner of the 1958 Tour.
Alpe d'Huez was Contador's last chance to reopen the game: he proudly tried it, going on the run for 90 kilometers but right on the last hairpin bends of the legendary Alpe, which saw Coppi and Pantani triumph, the Spanish champion strength was gone. So much so that he suffered the humiliation of being caught up and detached in the last two kilometers by Samuel Sanchez and the Frenchman Pierre Roland, Vockler's follower, unexpected winner on the Alpe. Contador, despite failing the stage, still scraped together a handful of seconds ahead of the Schleck and Evans brothers. A small recovery, which if it doesn't mitigate the great disappointment, allows Contador to present himself today at the start of the time trial with an infinitesimal chance of being able to have his say again in this Tour which in fact has now lost him.
In races against the clock, the Spaniard is formidable. The route with two climbs adapts to its characteristics. But Cadel Evans, a skilful time trialist, is also there to stake everything on the Grenoble stage to break the monopoly of the two Schleck brothers. And the Australian with 24 hours to go before the catwalk on the Champs Elysees is Andy's real nightmare, who after two second places behind Contador is dreaming of a great triumph. If then, due to the well-known affair of clenbuterol, Contador were deemed "doped" by the TAS which will deal with the case in early August, Andy Scleck could be the only rider to win two Tours in the space of a week. Whatever happens, this Tour will be remembered as the first in its centennial history that saw two brothers excel, fighting for the final success, precisely the Schlecks, the standard bearers of the Leopard. Brothers on the pedals were not lacking in other eras as well. Fausto Coppi had Serse who also managed to win a few races before dying tragically after a fall in the 1951 Giro del Piemonte. In those years, the two brothers, Apo and Lucien Lazarides, also raced the Tour but they left no great traces. The same goes for Jean Bobet, brother of the more famous Louison, winner of three consecutive Tours (1953-54 and 55). Francesco Moser, the hour record holder in the mid-80s, also had three racing brothers but only Aldo, the eldest, achieved moments of popularity. And who ever remembers that the great Miguel Indurain also raced with his brother Prudencio? No pair of brothers have ever managed to dominate a stage race like the two Schlecks: this Grande Boucle, which today will issue the final verdict, was their Tour. Even if Evans will do everything to spoil the party that the Grand Duchy is preparing for Andy and Frank.
