Saxo Bank leader Andy Schleck insisted no one deserves winning Thursday’s 12th stage of the Tour de France more than teammate Nicki Soerensen after years of helping the Luxemburger.
Schleck is ninth in the overall classification behind yellow jersey holder Rinaldo Noncentini and is delighted Soerensen gave the Danish team something to cheer about following his stage win.
The 34-year-old Dane won in a time of 4hr 52min 24sec after becoming a late addition to a six-man breakaway group which had left the clutches of the peloton at the 64km mark.
After a first attack with 23km to race succeeded in leaving five of his breakaway companions behind, another, with 5km to go, proved too much for Frenchman Sylvain Calzati who was swallowed up by the five chasers.
Soerensen’s attacking guile allowed him to bask in his first Tour stage win after seven previous participations, and 10 years as a professional cyclist.
And Schleck, who has benefited plenty from Soerensen’s work as a ‘domestique’ in the past, was quick to pay tribute.
”If I could wish someone in the team a victory it would be Nicki,” said Schleck, a yellow jersey contender who is 1min 49sec behind Nocentini.
”He has always been there for me in the Classics and never went for his own goal.
”He has always helped me a lot both mentally and physcially, years before he helped me on the Tour.
”He had his chance here and took it — you could see what it meant to him when he won at the finish — he couldn’t believe it.
”The stage was hard and very undulating, it was only a breakaway after about 80kms, but I knew he would do it, he is very strong.”
After Saxo Bank lost road captain Kurt-Asle Arvesen on Tuesday when the Norwegian was forced out with a broken collarbone after crashing during the 10th stage, team-mate Jens Voigt says Soerensen’s win has lifted team spirits.
”It was a big blow to our team moral to lose a friend like Kurt in a terrible crash like that,” said Voigt.
”So this is the best possible answer, sure it wasn’t a present, it was hard for everyone.
”There was no luck involved, but he managed to be up there and he did so well.”
And Voigt admitted Dane Soerensen had succeeded where the German had faultered.
”Nicki and I were in the group responsible for catching breakaways, I have to admit, I was really tired and I couldn’t go anymore, but Nicki said he could do it and he did it,” said Voigt.
”It was a perfect day at the office for him.” — AFP
