Ride of His Life!

Matteo Carrara had been having a near perfect Skoda Tour de Luxembourg, and what better way to cap it off than a near perfect ride to clinch it. Carrara did everything he had to, holding off Frank Schleck to win the race and even getting himself a podium spot in the stage by taking 3rd. When asked about it, Carrara describes the race as "my best victory." Carrara really took control of the race when he broke away with Frank Schleck in stage 2, and though Schleck won the sprint for the stage, Carrara stayed right with him and kept his one second advantage. Carrara then rode the next two stages with literally no margin for error and he nailed both of them. For Schleck, it was a strong ride, and while he did not get the victory in front of his home crowd, he finished on the podium nonetheless and looks to be in fine shape for the upcoming Tour de France. Rounding out the podium was Lance Armstrong. Armstrong managed to get himself in contention after a good start and keep himself there. It was a reassuring finish for Lance, who will likely ride one or two more events before the Tour de France. The final stage was won by Spanish rider Gorka Izaguirre in a final sprint finish.

PODIUM RESULTS

1. Matteo Carrara

2. Frank Schleck -1

3. Lance Armstrong -30

"KING" OF THE MOUNTAINS WINNER:

Jorge Martin Montenegro put together a strong ride, securing his title in the mountains after winning all checkpoints in his breakaway earlier in the race.

POINTS WINNER:

Sergei Ivanov never actually won a stage, but he was near the front for essentially every day. He was one of the most consistent riders in the tour, and managed to get himself in the top 3 enough to grab the points jersey from overall winner Carrara.

BEST YOUNG RIDER:

Alexander Geniez took home a 7th place overall finish, clearly finishing ahead of the other top rookies by over 20 seconds. The final margin was 28 seconds back to Ivan Rovny.

WINNING TEAM:

Radioshack put together the best overall performance, finishing 3 riders in the top 9 spots (including Armstrong on the podium) and working together best as a team throughout the race. The next closest team was Team Katusha, finishing just 4 seconds back.

This wraps up this year's tour, and indeed was it a good one. How often is it that the heavy favorite is upset by one second in his home tour? Luxembourg did not disappoint, and helped launch the sport into the upcoming months of action. And again...

Congratulations to Matteo Carrara, your 2010 Skoda Tour de Luxembourg winner.