The disappointment is visible on the face of Andy Schleck(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
A happy Andy Schleck (Leopard - Trek) (Image credit: Sirotti)
Andy Schleck is comforted by his brother Frank after his defeat in the Grenoble time trial.(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Andy Schleck (Leopard Trek) received an emotional hug from brother Frank just after crossing the finish line of the time trial in Grenoble but it was little consolation as he had lost the Tour de France.
At the line Andy was mobbed by the media and struggled to escape but eventually rode through the crowd to the Leopard Trek team bus behind the Grenoble velodrome. He was congratulated by team patron Flavio Becca and his teammates, but quickly entered the team bus to take off the yellow skin suit he wore in the time trial as race leader.
After finishing 2:31 slower than Evans, he is set to finish second in Paris on Sunday, 1:34 behind the Australian.
When he emerged to talk to the media, Andy had rediscovered his composure and insisted he was happy to finish on the final Tour de France podium with his brother Frank. He praised Cadel Evans for riding a perfect race but said he would back to try to win the Tour in 2012.
"I'm not the next Zoetemelk. I promise I'll come back next year to try and win the Tour de France," he said, referring to Joop Zoetemelk from the Netherlands, who finished in the top ten of the Tour de France several times in the seventies and eighties but only won it once.
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Stephen is one of the most experienced members of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. Before becoming Editor-at-large, he was Head of News at Cyclingnews. He has previously worked for Shift Active Media, Reuters and Cycling Weekly. He is a member of the Board of the Association Internationale des Journalistes du Cyclisme (AIJC).
