With a comfortable buffer over the riders behind him in the overall standings, Frank Schleck dared to make a long-distance attack in tday's queen stage of the Tour de France. The Luxembourgish champion set out with the intention to win the stage but admitted that Rafal Majka had been the strongest rider from the break.

While yesterday saw the longest stage of this year’s Tour de France and fractured the overall classification, today’s stage 17 was the shortest at 124.5 kilometers. However, it was the second straight day in the Pyrenees Mountains and with four punishing, long climbs jammed into the brief parcours, it was a day set for bombshells.

Early on the pressure was placed squarely on the shoulders of the GC teams when a large 22-man breakaway formed on the first category one climb of the day. Amongst the escapees were 10th, 12th, 13th overall, plus Fränk Schleck who was 14th.

“Jens [Voigt] did an amazing job, he’s a super teammate," Schleck said. "The plan was for him to get in the early break and then to help pull me up the climb later. Well when I caught him I had just done the hard effort to make it there, and he began drilling it right away. I had the taste of blood in my mouth just from the effort to get to him, and if I had the power, I would have thrown my bottle into the back of his head! Yah – It was bloody hard.”

Jens Voigt would fade away after his superb effort to help establish the breakaway, and the race was on. 

On the second of four climbs Team Sky rider Vasili Kiryienka made a solo, but ultimately fated bid, for the stage win, while behind Fränk Schleck bided his time and energy with the large breakaway group until the final summit.

The breakaway rejoined as one 14-strong group leading into the 10-kilometer ascent to the finish. There was no more hiding. No more tactics. It was down to a battle of the strongest legs.

“We had a plan and we followed the plan perfectly," he said. "It was very nervous from the beginning. With Katusha riding from the back we knew that [Joaquim]Rodriguez was going to go, and also [Rafal] Majka, for the fight for the climber’s jersey. I was able to follow when they went on the climb; it was very, very hard!

"The breakaway was very tactical with so many high on GC, and also three from Movistar, two from BMC and Europcar…it was a very bizarre situation.

"Each climb we lost more from the break until there were just a few of us left. On the last climb it was full gas…one by one fighting to the end.”

Early into the final climb the breakaway shattered, and behind the yellow jersey group also blew apart: back-to-back days in the Pyrenees had taken its toll.

Rafal Majka [Tinkoff-Saxo) patiently waited then launched the winning attack from the remnants of the breakaway. No one could follow.

Over the line Majka secured the win and the polka dot jersey, as the yellow clad Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) caught all but two of the original break to finish third. Nibali's lead in the maillot jaune now cemented to five minutes and twenty-six seconds over Alejandro Valverde (Movistar).

Not long after Nibali finished Fränk Schleck crossed the line in seventh place. He was one of the strongest from the original breakaway, but could not match the power of Majka. Haimar Zubeldia would come in just over a minute later for 18th.

“We had a plan to try and win the stage," sports director Kim Andersen said. "It went as we wanted, but in the end it’s the legs that talk. Someone from the breakaway won the stage, so it was possible. Fränk did not have it to go with Majka, who is a very good rider - I think the best climber here.  And Haimar paid a little bit for yesterday’s effort when he was alone after his puncture. But he is still there, and we still believe that he can move up into top 10.

"We have to try; it is better than always staying in the wheels. There was no risk for Fränk today, because the next on GC is six minutes behind him. At one moment that breakaway was looking very, very good, but then….”

The punishing final week of the Tour de France continues tomorrow with the third successive Pyrenees stage that ends on the infamous Montée du Hautacam where Trek Factory Racing will continue its fight for its goal of top ten overall.  Currently Zubeldia holds 11th GC, and Fränk Schleck gained one spot after his determined effort today and rests in 13th place.

“Tomorrow it will be a lot the same: A big fight amongst everyone," Andersen said. "And the last climb, like today, will be split all over the road. It will be the third day in a row where they are going à bloc. It is not long stages but everyone is going all-in. Everybody. 

"It will be whoever has the best legs up to Hautacam.  I believe that Haimar, if he can recover well, can easily make up the one minute from 10th GC.  Everything can happen tomorrow.”