Skoda-Tour of Luxembourg Stage 3

Another FANTASTIC stage for the RadioShack-Nissan Trek Team!!! Johan Bruyneel must be so proud. Although the stage wasn't won by a RSNT rider, the Luxemburger Wort Yellow Jersey is now being work by Jakob Fuglsang. And for those paying attention, Fuglsang is one of my picks for my RSNT Tour de France team.

June 2, Stage 3: Eschweiler - Differdange 205.4km

Poels wins queen stage in Luxembourg

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/skoda-tour-de-luxembourg-2012/stage-3/results)

Wout Poels (Vacansoleil-DCM) claimed his first win of the season and one of his most prestigious victories of his career on the queen stage of the Tour de Luxembourg today. At the end of the 205km stage from Eschweiler to Differdange, Poels out-paced Jakob Fuglsand and Fränk Schleck of the RadioShack-Nissan team. With his second place, Fuglsang took over the race lead from Saur-Sojasun's Jimmy Engoulvent.

The day's breakaway went early, with Mathew Hayman (Sky), Jens Debusschere (Lotto-Belisol), Jérôme Cousin (Europcar), Albert Timmer (Argos-Shimano) and Staf Scheirlinckx (Accent.Jobs-Willems Verandas) built up a four minute lead in the lead-up to the hills. Timmer claimed the first four mountain primes, but as the race hit the closing circuits the five riders were being chased in earnest by the Radioshack-led peloton.

The breakaway was finally caught ahead of the Col de l'Europe, which was taken in three times in the closing circuits. Fränk Schleck attacked the first trip to take the most points, pulling away a new leading group with Fuglsang, Poels and his own teammate Andreas Klöden.

Klöden was dropped from the lead group, and the trio went to the line with a small lead. Schleck claimed all three mountain sprints on the Col de l'Europe but wasn't able to get the better of the Dutch rider in the dash to the finish.

(Photo from RadioShack-Nissan Trek: http://lockerz.com/s/213865650)

Full Results

#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Wout Poels (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team	5:01:11
2	Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Radioshack-Nissan
3	Frank Schleck (Lux) Radioshack-Nissan
4	Michael Barry (Can) Sky Procycling	0:00:24
5	Salvatore Puccio (Ita) Sky Procycling
6	Vincent Jerome (Fra) Team Europcar
7	Ben Gastauer (Lux) AG2R La Mondiale
8	Thomas Damuseau (Fra) Argos-Shimano
9	Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
10	Johnny Hoogerland (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team

Gesink Update

Successful surgery for Gesink

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/successful-surgery-for-gesink)

Robert Gesink has undergone successful surgery on his fractured right femur. The Rabobank rider suffered the serious injury in a training crash on Sunday.

The Rabobank rider had a pin installed in his leg on Sunday night at the Meander Medical Center in Amersfoort in the Netherlands. He will remain in hospital a few days, and must have ten days of absolute rest, before starting rehabilitation.

Rabobank sport director Erik Breukink said that Gesink did not remember how the crash happened.

The crash is another blow for the 26-year old after a difficult 12 months. His father died in October 2010 as the result of a cycling accident. Gesink started well in the season, winning two stages in the Tour of Oman en route to overall victory. A crash at the Tour de France left him with back and hip injuries and he finished the race 33rd overall. He recently he finished second in the GP de Quebec, and was looking forward to repeating his two-time win in the Giro dell'Emilia. Now his season is over and he faces a winter of rehabilitation and physiotherapy.

Gesink's place on the Worlds road team will be taken by Rabobank teammate Steve Kruijswijk.

In another team change, Dominique Rollin (FDJ) has withdrawn from the Canadian team. He has not recovered from injuries suffered in a crash at the GP de Montreal. His place on the road race will be taken by Michael Barry of Team Sky.