Having already started the race on the back foot with six riders instead of eight, Fränk Schleck’s defence of the Tour of Luxembourg, his home race, took another blow today. The team lost Australians Richie Porte and Stuart O’Grady before the race started and has now been reduced to five riders after the disqualification of Alex Rasmussen during today’s stage.
”The stage progressed the way we wanted with a breakaway going early and someone other than us to catch it,” said Saxo Bank sports director Kim Andersen after the stage. “We have only five riders in the line-up now as Alex [Rasmussen] was disqualified today after having lost his way getting back to the peloton after a puncture.
“However,” he continued, “Fränk [Schleck] and Laurent [Didier] are eager to show their worth on home ground and they both have the shape to pull it off.”
There is no official word from the race organiser as to exactly what Rasmussen’s offence was, simply that he has been disqualified. Schleck currently sits in 18th place, 8 seconds behind new race leader Cyril Lemoine (Saur-Sojasun); he and his four teammates have three stages left to try to retain his title.