During yesterday's Team Time Trial, we saw Frank Schleck sitting on the back of the Leopard-Trek pursuit train not taking any turns, and letting the rider who had just taken a pull at the front rejoining the paceline in front of him. Schleck is not known for his time trialing abilities, and if anyone on the team was to be protected, it would have been his younger brother, Andy, who is the team's designated General Classification hopeful. In reports today, we found out why he was sitting in the back: he had swallowed a bug in the first kilometer and it had stung his throat on the way down.
He had to worry about whether he would have an allergic reaction during the remainder of the 23 kilometer course. Thankfully, there was no huge histamine response, and Frank was able to finish with the first five across the line. Jonathon Vaughters, the Sporting Director of Garmin-Cervelo, had to abandon his last Tour de France in 2001 because he got stung near the eye during a training ride before a stage, and the doping rules at the time would not have allowed him to take a cortisone shot to reduced the swelling that had closed his eye shut.
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