Team captain Tom Boonen was expected
Team captain Tom Boonen was expected to carry
secing the squad through July, but knee problems resulting from crashes in the Tour of California and the Tour de Suisse force him out of the race, and the team questioning how successful their Tour might turn out.
Lefevere refrained from criticizing Chavanel during the spring when his performances were lacklustre compared to his first year with the team. He then looked to be getting back on track in the Ardennes, but was derailed by a crash in the final kilometer of Liège-Bastogne-Liège that resulted in a skull fracture. The Frenchman came back determined and strong from injury to capture the second and eighth stage of the Tour de France, each resulting in a day wearing the maillot jaune.
While Chavanel has been the man winning stages and taking yellow, Pineau secured the King of the Mountains jersey on the heels of his stage five victory in Novi Ligure at
secing the Giro d'Italia in May. He also finished third place in stage seventeen of the Italian race.
