Brian Nygaard found it too warm to wear his scarf (Image credit: Sirotti)
Team Leopard Trek boss Brian Nygaard arrived at the team's inaugural Tour de France full of confidence and with the belief that Andy Schleck is in better condition than last year, when he finished just 39 seconds behind Alberto Contador.
The Luxembourg rider used the Amgen Tour of California and Tour de Suisse as his preparation races for the Tour but only showed flashes of his class in between losing time in some of the most demanding stages and time trials of both races. Despite those fluctuations in form, Nygaard told Cyclingnews at the start of stage one that his team leader was ready for the anticipated battle with Alberto Contador for the yellow jersey.
The Leopard Trek comes into the event with a strong squad and the likes of Fabian Cancellara and Jakob Fuglsang squarely placed to support Andy Schleck. However Nygaard admitted that while Andy is the team leader, older brother Fränk could also play a part in the final destination of the yellow jersey.
Nygaard also commented on the booing Alberto Contador received at the teams' presentation on Saturday, stating that the Spaniard had every right to be the race.
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Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.
