(Courtesy cyclingnews.com)

First Endurance rider Schumacher (Gerolsteiner) took home his second stage win against the clock of this year’s Tour after the stage four test in Cholet. The Gerolsteiner rider beat world time trial champion Fabian Cancellara by 21 seconds. Vande Velde was the best of the GC contenders, coming fourth behind Team Columbia’s Kim Kirchen.

Schumacher amazed even himself by taking his second stage win, and said that he began to feel better as the Tour went along, and was surprised at how good he felt after three weeks of racing. “In the final, after such a long time trial, you find yourself being cross-eyed from the effort. I didn’t know anything about my time when I hit the finish line so I had to ask, ‘Which place?’ And I heard first and as I’d already beaten the time of [Fabian] Cancellara I knew I had a good chance to win,” said Schumacher.

“I am happy with myself. I had a good rhythm today and when we saw the circuit I knew it would be perfect for me - it was nearly the same type of circuit as Cholet.  I never even thought I was going to win. It wasn’t even in my mind. I only tried to find my rhythm and give it 100 percent,” he added, revealing that he did most of the race without any feedback from his team. “After 25 kilometres my radio was no longer working – I don’t know what happened, perhaps I hit the wrong button but I didn’t hear anything – but I had the time at the second check and I still wasn’t sure if it was enough to win the stage.”

Like most of the riders, Schumacher was focused on the gradual climb which ended with five kilometres to go as the critical point on the course. “I was sure that the last climb on the course would decide the winner. I was feeling heavy after 45 kilometres, and to arrive at the last climb which is more than one kilometre long like that was hard but I had the power to go over the top,” he said. “In the last 10 kilometres I had a good ride and that was very important for me.

The two stage wins and Bernhard Kohl’s polka dot jersey made for an unexpectedly successful Tour de France, and even Schumacher was incredulous at how it turned out for the team. “I don’t think anybody outside of the team thought that we could do a Tour like this so it’s unreal. I’ve been talking a lot with Bernhard [Kohl] and we’re always saying, ‘Hey, this isn’t just any bike race. It’s the Tour!’ And I cannot believe what we’ve done. He said that he’d be happy with fifth and now he’s third and the King of the Mountains… so it’s been an incredible adventure.”

Team manager Hans-Michael Holczer was equally amazed. “I did not think it was possible. I thought, ‘ok, this is the price he has to pay for his really aggressive riding in the last three stages,’ but in the end, in the last 12 kilometres he found an unbelievable rhythm.”

Stage 20 Results

1 Stefan Schumacher (Ger) Gerolsteiner                         1.03.50 (49.817 km/h)

2 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team CSC - Saxo Bank             0.21

3 Kim Kirchen (Lux) Team Columbia                                  1.01

Teams

1 Gerolsteiner                                                 3.16.10

2 Garmin Chipotle                                               0.38

3 Team CSC Saxo Bank                                     1.13