Luxembourgeois Gentilhomme

CSC's Schleck also became the first rider from Luxembourg since 1966 to win a stage on the Grande Boucle - the 74th stage win for his small nation.

"I'm very proud to be compared with Charly Gaul, who was such a great rider", the 26-year-old said after his epic performance over the high cols on Tuesday set tongues wagging.

Gaul, nicknamed 'The Mountain Angel', won 10 stages and two polka dot jerseys at the Tour during his illustrious career, including four stages during his sole Tour victory in 1958.

In the six years that he rode the Tour, however, the schedule never took the riders up the infamous 21 hairpins of l'Alpe d'Huez.

Asked whether he could emulate Gaul in a few years time and win the Tour, a devilish Schleck replied: "I don't know, I'm really not in a position to reply at that question."

Schleck comes from a family imbued with cycling history. His brother, Andy, also rides for CSC and, according to directeur sportif Bjarne Riis, possesses "the biggest motor" of the two Schlecks. The big Dane failed to confirm whether or not this was a Volvo or a Saab.

Both brothers are the offspring of tireless Bic domestique Johnny Schleck, the loyal servant to 1973 Tour winner Luis Ocana. Schleck senior rode in seven Tours without mustering up a victory, but he will be remembered in posterity for his enduring support he gave to the late Ocana.

In fact, the Schleck-Ocana relationship is very much like the trust and camaraderie enjoyed by Franc Schleck and his CSC room-mate Jens Voigt.

Both Schleck and Voigt - along with a third CSC rider, Dacid Zabriskie - were present in the initial 25-man breakaway on Tuesday. While Schleck went on to win, Voigt, victor himself of Stage 13, crashed into a wall after slipping in the rain into a tunnel on a descent to Bourg d'Oisans.

Voigt, who finished over 13 minutes behind Schleck at the finish, talked down his injury whilst waxing lyrical about the vibes coming from the pair's room.

He told Eurosport: "It is not dramatic, it's uncomfortable, but not very serious, it could have been much worst. And my room mate Schlecki won, so this makes us the best room in the world, because we have each a stage victory. We really are the best room in the world!"

The grizzled German rider, who Schleck affectionately calls 'The King of Pain' due to his penchant for punishment, was then interrupted by the entry of his room-mate, and took the opportunity to join the Schleck-Gaul bandwagon.

"Hey Frankie, I am so proud of you, You were so cool, so self confident, like an old experienced rider. Schlecki, you really rode like an old veteran, with good legs and a good eye! Oh God, What a day!"

Voigt and Schleck are obviously very close, as captured in a recent remark to the press: "I know that if my car ever breaks down in the middle of the night, Frank would immediately come to my aide." Presumably in his brother's Volvo. Or was that a Saab?

Raymond Poulidor, the French Tour legend who finished three times in second position and four times in third, just cannot shake off the 'Eternal Second' nickname.

Before the start of Tuesday's Stage 15, Poulidor, along with former Tour winners Bernard Hinault and Bernard Thévenet, took part in a book-signing morning in Gap. The three musketeers have all recently released autobiographies by the same publishers.

Not one to surprise, Poupou finished second, signing 37 copies, to the Badger, who signed 42. Third place went to Nanard, who made 29 signed dedications.

Two years ago, when Lance Armstrong blitzed the individual time-trial up l'Alpe d'Huez in the colours of US Postal, there were some extremely suggestive painted tags on the road. For instance: 'LANCE POSTAL'.

Two years on, with Armstrong revisiting the Tour amidst cheap shots at the French national football team and Tour director Jean-Marie Leblanc, the messages daubed onto the road are much less cryptic. For instance: 'GO HOME ARMSTRONG' or 'F### OFF LANCE'.

Thanks for your caption suggestions for yesterday's photo of this crazy Italian fan running alongside Damiano Cunego, Eddy Mazzoleni and stage winner Frank Schleck. We received many Zidane-Materazzi-World Cup-headbutt related offerings but the first prize goes to Juan Mestas from Miami with this original corker: "Unable to live without the media attention, Mario Cipollini, “The Lion King”, pips Frank Schleck across the finish line at the Alpe D’Huez."

Second place goes to Douglas Ansel of Starkville, MS, who proffers: "Hey Damiano, if you'd get this skinny you could probably beat that Frankie guy in front of you..."

Finally, nothing would be good without a base American-Pie type joke, and for that Tomasso Pai of Menlo Park, CA, steps forward: "Hey Frank! My "Schleck" is THIS LONG!!!" Mr Pai was also keen for us to mention that his own nickname was "Schleck grosso". He seemed to have forgotten to include the Italian word for head, "testa"...

Today, we're looking for captions for this picture of yellow jersey (R.I.P.) Floyd Landis and team-mate Robert Hunter, taken as the two Phonak riders climbed the first challenge of the day, the Col du Galibier. Send your offerings, as usual, to newsroom@eurosport.com and we'll have a good laugh over them in the office. But please, one per person! It's ample punishment ploughing through the dregs as it is...