Bicycling Australia

Eyes On The Prize

WHEN THEY SIGNED BROTHERS

Andy and Fränk Schleck to begin their debut season as Leopard-Trek in 2011, the former a runner-up-cum-winner at the previous year’s Tour de France thanks to the belated disqualification of Alberto Contador, this team probably thought it was not inconceivable they would one day win Le Tour.

Had it not been for Andy’s woeful time trial ability, they almost certainly would have done so. Instead, on that 42.5 kilometre penultimate stage TT around Grenoble, Schleck the younger conceded two-and-a-half minutes to Cadel Evans, who reversed a 57-second deficit and catapulted himself from third to race leader, and thus became the first Australian to win the greatest bike race on earth. Somewhat of a consolation, Frank would finish third and flank Cadel and Andy on the Paris podium.

Evans would not reach such heights again and neither would the Schlecks. When Andy

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