By Hedwig Kröner in Briançon
At the start of stage 11 from Courchevel to Briançon, Cyclingnews intercepted Domina Vacanze's Jörg Ludewig on his way to signing in. It was a beautiful sunny day, so the tall German was in good spirits. Looking back on the difficult climb to Courchevel, though, he sighed.
"I'm actually stronger than in the last years but there were still 50 or 60 guys in front of me in that climb," he said. "That's frightening - the level is just incredibly high. And when you see the guys in front, you just don't know what to say anymore. The pedal stroke of some people is so easy! It's just a different league.
"I just couldn't hold on with that pace yesterday, but I can't stand to fall back into the gruppetto either," Ludewig continued. "So I rode steadily looking at my heart-rate in order not to get to the anaerobic level. I didn't want to exhaust myself for nothing as my plan is to try and attack tomorrow."
Stage 12 of this year's Tour is hilly, not too hard, and the main GC contenders will keep the bunch together. "I think tomorrow is the first realistic chance of a break actually getting through to the finish - and I would like to be in it," he continued. "Just once, you know, at least try to go for a stage win. We'll see if I can make it."
