"Schleckchute" was a term coined last year on Twitter, with all the races that the Schleck Brothers pulled out of. There was even a shirt created for just the occasion: Pulling the SchleckChute T-shirt!
I now use this image as the background of my phone...
Anyway, the Schleckchute was pulled again today. I'm starting to wonder how many times it can be deployed before it needs to be replaced??
Andy Schleck quits the Tour Méditerranéen
Andy Schleck failed to finish stage one of the Tour Méditerranéen after being dropped after 104km of the stage won by Andre Greipel (Lotto Belisol).
The troubled Luxembourger is suffering with a respiratory problem according to his RadioShack Leopard team but hopes to recover and race again in time for the Tour du Haut-Var (February 16-17).
"This morning I already had breathing problems. Instead of getting better, it just got worse during the race because of the cold and the wind," Schleck said in a press release.
"I didn't want to abandon out of respect for the fans and the organization, but also because I need this competition. After the Tour Down Under I felt I was in a good way and I was really looking forward to this race. I am now sicker than I was before. I need to let my body recover and I hope I can resume training as soon as possible. In theory my race program will not change."
Schleck fractured his pelvis during the time trial stage of the Criterium du Dauphine in early June. He missed the Tour de France and hardly raced for the rest of the 2012 season, completing only 28 days of racing in the whole season. He is determined to bounce back and be a contender at the Tour de France in July but has not finished a race since last year's Liege-Bastogne-Liege after also quitting the Tour of Beijing last October and the Tour Down Under in January.
RSLT is full of young talent, as well as some veteran riders. Fabian Cancellara, Chris Horner, Yaroslav Popovych, and Jens Voigt are in the position to teach the younger riders like George Bennett, Matthew Busche, Ben Hermans, Hayden Roulston, and Jesse Sergent, just to name a few. Roulston and Bennett took 1st and 2nd place respectively in the 2013 New Zealand Road Race Championships. Today, Giacomo Nizzolo had an amazing sprint finish in Stage 4 of the Tour of Qatar. With these recent results, among many otherts, it is easy to see that the young riders are quite talented on RSLT.
Andy Out, Giacomo Strong in Tour Méditerranéen
Due to an infection of the respiratory tract, Andy Schleck will not take the start of Stage 2 of the Tour Méditerraneen. Schleck, already suffering before the start, abandoned in the finale of Stage 1, unable to finish the race in good health.
“This morning I already had breathing problems," explained Andy Schleck. “Instead of getting better, it just got worse during the race because of the cold and the wind. I didn’t want to abandon out of respect for the fans and the organization, but also because I need this competition. After the Tour Down Under I felt I was in a good way and I was really looking forward to this race. I am now sicker than I was before. I need to let my body recover and I hope I can resume training as soon as possible. In theory my race program will not change.” Andy Schleck is expected to resume competition in the Tour du Haut-Var (February 16-17).
On the other hand, it was a nice performance from the rest of the team with Giacomo Nizzolo taking 4-th in a group sprint behind stage winner Andre Greipel (Lotto Belisol).
Team director Jose Azevedo explained the racing action after three riders who formed a day-long break (Will Routley of Accent Jobs – Wanty, Théo Vimpère of BigMat - Auber93, and Thomas Vaubourzeix of La Pomme Marseille) were finally caught: “It was a nervous race with lots of wind. They were caught at 10K finish and Lotto-Belisol did everything for Greipel. But our team did too. We believed in Nizzolo and all worked to bring him to the front. Danilo Hondo did the last finishing touch."
Nizzolo: "When Greipel started his sprint, I did exactly the same on the other side of the road. In the end Greipel was better than me, I can live with that, but two other guys just came over me in the last meters as they were protected from the wind behind me." Second and third places went to Matteo Pelucchi and Maxime Daniel.
Azevedo: “Just a beginner's mistake but it’s nice to see that Giacomo dares to sprint against Greipel. This is his first race of the season and promises a lot... 4th is a good sign."
On the other hand, it was a nice performance from the rest of the team with Giacomo Nizzolo taking 4-th in a group sprint behind stage winner Andre Greipel (Lotto Belisol).
Team director Jose Azevedo explained the racing action after three riders who formed a day-long break (Will Routley of Accent Jobs – Wanty, Théo Vimpère of BigMat - Auber93, and Thomas Vaubourzeix of La Pomme Marseille) were finally caught: “It was a nervous race with lots of wind. They were caught at 10K finish and Lotto-Belisol did everything for Greipel. But our team did too. We believed in Nizzolo and all worked to bring him to the front. Danilo Hondo did the last finishing touch."
Nizzolo: "When Greipel started his sprint, I did exactly the same on the other side of the road. In the end Greipel was better than me, I can live with that, but two other guys just came over me in the last meters as they were protected from the wind behind me." Second and third places went to Matteo Pelucchi and Maxime Daniel.
Azevedo: “Just a beginner's mistake but it’s nice to see that Giacomo dares to sprint against Greipel. This is his first race of the season and promises a lot... 4th is a good sign."
(above article and picture from RadioshackLeopardTrek.com)
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