Team Work Utilisation – The Schleck Brothers

Cycling is all about team work. Pro riders make no bones about constantly reminding the press that results don’t just come off the back of a single rider on a single day. Mark Cavendish is perhaps the most noticeable example of this; in every post-race interview he heaps praise on his team mates, from lead-out man Mark Renshaw to his sporting directors and bike sponsors. It’s all these little details that add up together and mesh to result in the win at the highest level of the sport.

The main subject of today’s article however, is the Schleck brothers. Between them, Andy and Frank Schleck have enough talent to fill the proverbial cauldron many times over, yet despite their best efforts a Tour de France win has thus far eluded them. As I write, the 17^th stage of the 2011 Tour has just finished. With 2 mountain top finishes to go as well as the final time trial, the Schleck brothers are currently sitting in 3^rd and 4^th positions, with Andy 2:36 from the yellow jersey of Thomas Voeckler, and Frank 3^rd, 1:22 behind Voeckler.

For those old hands, you will have seen when two team mates make it into the finale of mountain stages or large one day classics. The idea is to attack 1-2 style and whittle the group down, until either one of you gets a gap and gains time, or the group is reduced to 4 or 5 riders, with one of you able to take the win in a sprint. This appears to be something someone has neglected to tell the Schlecks, they often attack from large groups, where the impetus is unlikely to succeed and the group is large enough to bring attacks back. Pro Cycling 101 states that you reduce the group down first to a manageable size, and then attack!

Andy and Frank seem to have upped their game somewhat for this years Tour, with attacks reigning in from the boys left right and centre on some of the Tour’s more demanding climbs, but it still seems that they are yet to leverage their advantage fully. Time is beginning to run out for the Schleck’s in this Tour, and with Aussie Cadel Evans sitting ahead of Frank on GC it looks as though Evans’ superior time trialling ability could prove the decisive factor in this years Tour.

The time trial is the only place the Schlecks cannot use their advantage. The “race of truth” has always been a weak area for Andy and Frank, both of whom are undisputedly pure climbers and so lack the punch and rhythm required to turn in a good time trial.

A quick look at the current GC standings would suggest that getting both Schlecks on the podium may well be a possibility. But it would seem that the only way to win the Tour would be an act of self sacrifice by one brother for the other. A do or die attack led by Frank that would launch Andy to a win atop the Galibier or Alpe D’Huez seems the only way to take the win. Andy will probably need at least 45 seconds on Evans and similar on Contador. The short 109km stage to Alpe D’Huez will provide an interesting racing dynamic, as the favourites slog it out on the alpine climb with much less fatigue than if the stage was similar length to others in the race.

So come on Andy and Frank, get your acts together, challenge Evans for that top spot!

Happy Cycling :-)

Picture via European Parliament