Frank Schleck becomes the fourth Team CSC-Saxo Bank rider to wear the prestigious yellow jersey at the Tour de France. Since the team’s inception, the squad has always been one of the aggressors of the race, but taking the yellow jersey didn’t come to fruition until Dave Zabriskie in 2005. The American beat seven-time Tour winner Lance Armstrong in the opening time and held it for four days. Jens Voigt became the second to wear the jersey, taking it for one day later in that same Tour before falling ill. Fabian Cancellara wore it for a week last year after taking the opening prologue. Schleck, meanwhile, is the first to take it so deep in the race.

Team CSC-Saxo Bank rider Carlos Sastre has been pretty quiet so far in this Tour de France. That’s bound to change in the coming days. Three climbing stages spread over four days will provide plenty of opportunities for the veteran climber to spread his wings. Summertime temperatures have descended on the Tour just as Sastre is turning up the heat on the race. “Today was hot like Spain. It’s the way I like it. I think it’s supposed to be hot all the way through the Alps. That plays in my favor,” Sastre said. “The heat is a disadvantage for some riders. You can feel the heat pelting off the road. It makes what’s hard even harder. The key is to drink a lot of water. The rule is, drink before your thirsty. If you wait until you’re thirsty, then it’s too late.”

Stuart O’Grady was up front in Friday’s stage of the Tour de France, but it wasn’t because he’s back in the business of fighting for the sprint finishes. The veteran Aussie has given up on his chances in the sprint finishes becoming one of the most important workers on the team. In this year’s Tour, the Olympic gold medalist on the track is now the official bodyguard of Spanish climber Carlos Sastre. “I’ve done a lot of work to keep Carlos out of the wind and protect him until the mountains arrive. He’s doing well. He’s been very cool so far in this Tour. Nothing shakes him up. We haven’t even seen him attack yet. I don’t think he’s even put it in second gear yet.”

After stumbling in the first big mountain stage Sunday and falling out of contention, Team CSC-Saxo Bank’s sensation says he hopes to recover in time to redeem himself in the Alps. “I made a rookie mistake in the stage and didn’t eat while going up the Tourmalet. When the attacks went on Hautacam, I had a major bonk,” Schleck said. “It’s too bad. I can forget about the white jersey, but that’s OK. I am here to learn and gain experience for the future.” Schleck now will focus on making a full recovery in a string of transition stages ahead of the arrival into the Alps on Sunday. “I want to help my team and maybe I can still try to win a stage,” he said. “I have a lot of Tours ahead of me. The most important is to help the team and arrive to Paris.”

Team CSC-Saxo Bank is now leading two of the important classification categories in the 2008 Tour de France. With Sunday’s strong ride, Team CSC-Saxo Bank solidified its position atop the team classification. The time is tabulated daily from the top-three riders from each stage and combined to create a time for each team. Team CSC-Saxo Bank now leads Spanish rival Caisse d’Epargne by 3:29. Andy Schleck took control of the best young rider’s white jersey, moving nine seconds ahead of Maxime Monfort of Belgium. It’s a special category for riders under the age of 25 and often harkens future Tour greats. Such riders as Greg Lemond, Marco Pantani, Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso have claimed the white jersey in Paris.