LUZ-ARDIDEN, France — Score one for the Schleck brothers — Andy and Frank — against defending champion Alberto Contador.
The Tour de France entered the Pyrenees on Thursday, and the Schlecks delivered a 1-2 punch with attacks at the end of the 131-mile Stage 12 from Cugnaux to the Luz-Ardiden ski station. By the finish, Contador was gritting his teeth.
Spanish climbing specialist Samuel Sanchez, whose team is based in nearby Basque country, gave the home crowd reason to celebrate. He won the stage after riding inspired through a sea of red, green and white Basque flags.
And the current darling of French cycling — Thomas Voeckler — surprised himself by keeping the yellow jersey on Bastille Day after scaling three punishing peaks.
Sanchez and Voeckler, however, aren’t expected to be among the contenders for the title when the three-week cycling showcase ends July 24 on Paris’ Champs-Elysees.
Contador and Andy Schleck — and maybe his brother — are. That will be after the race runs through more punishment in the Alps in Week Three and a pivotal individual time trial in Grenoble on the next-to-last race day.
Thursday’s leg showed that the once-indomitable Contador, who had a dismal Tour start because of crashes and stumbles by his Saxo Bank team, can be vulnerable in the mountains.
Frank Schleck could be an ace-in-the-hole for his brother and Leopard Trek teammate, who was runner-up to Contador each of the last two years. Last year, Andy didn’t enjoy any brotherly benefit: Frank crashed in a nasty cobblestone patch during Stage 3 and dropped out of the race with a broken collarbone — missing the mountain stages.
On Thursday, the pack scaled the Hourquette d’Ancizan, an ascent making its Tour debut. Then came the fabled Col du Tourmalet pass and the ride up to Luz-Ardiden — both among the toughest climbs in cycling.
Sanchez, trailed closely by Belgian rider Jelle Vanendert, overtook a group of breakaway riders up Luz-Ardiden and mustered a final burst of speed to win their two-man sprint in the last few hundred yards.
Two more grueling Pyrenean stages loom today and Saturday, starting with Stage 13’s 95-mile ride from Pau to Lourdes.
Tour de France/ At a glance
A brief look at Thursday’s 12th stage of the Tour de France:
Stage: A 131-mile ride from Cugnaux to Luz-Ardiden. The first of the three Pyrenees stages ended on top of Luz-Ardiden.
Winner: Samuel Sanchez of Spain. The Olympic champion crossed the finish line seven seconds ahead of Jelle Vanendert of Belgium. Frank Schleck of Luxembourg was third, 10 seconds off the pace.
Yellow Jersey: Thomas Voeckler of France defied the odds to keep the jersey, finishing only 50 seconds behind Sanchez. He leads Frank Schleck by 1 minute, 49 seconds overall. Third-placed Cadel Evans of Australia is 2:06 off the pace.
Where’s Alberto Contador? The three-time winner was the real loser of the day as the battle between the main contenders began. The Spaniard lost 33 seconds to Frank Schleck and conceded 13 seconds to main rival Andy Schleck. He is seventh overall, four minutes behind Voeckler.
Next stage: Today’s 95 miles takes riders from Pau to Lourdes, featuring a big climb up Col d’Aubisque, and a long descent toward the finish line.
