25th place in California a triumph for former Tour winner

For all the compelling talking points the weather-honed Giro d’Italia has given us over the past two weeks, events at the Tour of California provided some equally significant topics to reflect on.

Not so much the dominant performance by Tejay van Garderen, although we’ll talk about that later, but what about the ride by the guy who finished 25th on general classification?

Just a tick over 20 minutes behind race winner van Garderen doesn’t sound like anything to brag about, but for Andy Schleck the Tour of California was something of a triumph.

It was a triumph because it’s the first stage race he’s finished since injuring his hip in last year’s Criterium du Dauphine.

Schleck made a much-anticipated return to racing in January at the Tour Down Under. Straight away, he talked down his chances of doing anything meaningful, citing a lack of racing but also some doubt as to whether he could ever return to his best.

It soon became apparent that confidence was indeed a problem, as Schleck just wasn’t competitive and looked very tentative in the bunch. He failed to finish the race.

Schleck also racked up DNFs in the Tour of the Mediterranean, Tirreno Adriatico, Vuelta al Pais Vasco and Amstel Gold.

But not only did Schleck finish the Tour of California, he raced aggressively.

The 2010 Tour de France winner even survived a searingly hot day on stage two, when nearly 50 riders lost more than 15 minutes and several did not finish.

For the record, Schleck got dropped on the final climb and finished nine minutes down. A day earlier he’d animated the peloton on a day of 38-degree heat and came in six seconds behind stage winner Lieuwe Westra.

And it was a similar story in the penultimate stage, which finished with the 15 km climb to the summit of Mt Diablo, where Schleck was one of the final three riders in the break until he was dropped with around 10k’s to go.

Again, it wasn’t about his times or places, but more his attitude on the bike. Schleck looked more like his old self than at any time since his injury and can take massive confidence into his next race.

In January, Schleck said he hoped to have about 60 days of racing in his legs by July. As of now he has 32, so won’t really get close to his target by July.

That said, in April Andy Schleck looked no chance to race in July, but now it’s at least an even money bet. On this race alone, given his pedigree, he deserves the opportunity.

Meanwhile, Michael Rogers was making a welcome to return to the spotlight, after a very low-key start to the season.

Rogers has ridden just as much days as Andy Schleck this year, but the profile of races like Vuelta al Pais Vasco, the Tour of Mediterranean, Rund um den Finanzplatz and GP Nobili Rubinetterie means we haven’t seen or heard from him as much as we would’ve liked.

That changed in California.

Rogers finished second overall, which included a strong fourth place in the time trial, fourth on the gruelling climb of Mt Diablo and an equally impressive fifth on the day the peloton melted on the way to Mountain Center in Palm Springs.

Despite being a former winner of the race (2010), Rogers lacked support on the climbs but it didn’t seem to matter.

The extremely lean Canberran showed that by July he’ll be ready to provide awesome support for Alberto Contador. That could be some duo!

In fact, Orica-GreenEDGE could do a lot worse than approach Rogers to join them as they look to take the next step in their evolution.

That step would be one towards challenging the GC at Grand Tours because, as things stand, Matt Goss isn’t able to do what’s needed.

Firstly, he, like most other sprinters, seems powerless to stop Mark Cavendish. Secondly, Goss doesn’t seem to be the rider we thought he was becoming in 2011. Thirdly, the attempts to build a proper train to steer Goss to the finish line has never really worked.

With no one there to take his place among the elite of World Tour sprinters – Leigh Howard and Michael Matthews are too young – a change of tact may be necessary.

It can’t be forgotten that, ultimately, OGE needs points to stay in the World Tour.

Based on how well Cadel is riding at the moment, Michael Rogers has the experience, ability and importantly the time to play a meaningful role in doing just that.

He has a two-year deal at Saxo Tinkoff but will only be 35 when his contract finishes at the end of next season. Why not?

Finally, I couldn’t help noticing the support Tejay van Garderen had from his BMC teammates at the Tour of California.

On all the climbing stages Tejay was surrounded by red and black jersies, as BMC controlled the breaks and set up their leader for an emphatic race win.

At the Giro, Cadel enjoyed great support for the opening nine days but once the real climbing started, he was by himself.

With question marks lingering about who will be given leadership responsibilities in July, is it possible to draw anything from the riders selected to race in the Giro and at the Tour of California?

At the Giro, Cadel had one rider who supported him at the Tour last year, Stephen Cummings. He did, though, also have the impressive Daniel Oss, who rode with Liquigas Cannondale at last year’s Tour and finished 105th.

In California, Tejay van Garderen enjoyed the company of Philippe Gilbert, Amael Moinard and Michael Schar.

If Cadel is the anointed one then why hasn’t he got more proven Tour de France riders in the lap around Italy?

The centenary Tour de France is shaping as a more and more intriguing race with every passing day.