Andy Schleck

The off-season has arrived

Published:

October 26, 14:34,

Updated:

October 26, 18:42

By:

Cycling News

Andy's still busy with a trip to Spain, the Tour presentation and home construction

The storm has finally passed and I'm back where I started, staring out of the window at my parents' home in Luxembourg. Just like that day in February when I outlined all my hopes for the season, it's a cool, crisp morning. It's as if the season hasn't even happened.

My parents' garden hasn't changed. The bushes and grass seem no different. A bit of paint has faded on the garage door and a few dead leaves sit on the window ledge but that's it.

For me, though, it's been a huge experience and a breakthrough season. From the Classics to the Tour to the Vuelta and Worlds; there have been so many emotions and experiences. I'll save them all for another month's blog.

I've been kept busy since my abortive ride at the Worlds. The last few days have been spent in Madrid at Specialized's - our team's bike sponsor - expense. They flew me and Burry Stander out and had us compete in a kind of cycling celebrity death match. Okay, maybe that's a bit extreme, but for anyone who isn't familiar with Burry, he's the World Under-23 mountain bike champion and most importantly, he's quick. Very quick.

For a laugh - and I use that term lightly - Specialized had us ride up a 12-kilometre climb with me taking the road path and Burry fighting his way up the off-road trail to the top of the climb before swapping bikes and giving each other's sport a go. As you would expect we both dominated our disciplines but I had a great time on the mountain bike. I do a bit of it during the winter here in Luxembourg but it's been a while since I've been on a mountain bike. It was a lot of fun.

Of course, no corporate event would be complete without a night's hospitality and in the evening we went to watch the Champions League match between Real Madrid FC and AC Milan FC, from Italy. It was a great match that ended in defeat for Real but we had a good time nevertheless. I'd never been to the magnificent Estadio Santiago Bernabéu before, but seeing the players perform on a stage totally different to mine was fun.

Tour de France wardrobe malfunction

And speaking of stages, I was on one myself at the recent Tour de France route presentation in Paris. I've already talked about the route itself in the press, I'll reiterate that I like it. It seems like a tough parcours and one that will be selective. The only aspect I don't like the look of are the cobbled sections in the first few days. They're dangerous and a contender could easily lose the race there or crash. Is that necessary in a Grand Tour? I'm not so sure. I think guys like me and the Belgians will be fine, we're used to riding cobbles, but some of the Spanish riders will be pretty nervous.

The presentation itself was a lot of fun and you'll have all seen my wardrobe malfunction when I was seated between a suited and booted Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador in what I can say was more relaxed attire. Why the casual look, Andy, I hear you ask. Well, I went last year and a suit didn't seem necessary and to be honest I don't really like them. But when I walked in this year everyone was wearing them; from the riders to the press. Even the people taking coats were dressed to impress.

So there I am, seated between the Tour winner and a Tour legend and what's the first thing Lance says to me? "Hey Andy, where's your suit man?" "It's okay, Lance. Riders under twenty-five don't need them." My fashion sense might not be that slick but my quick-fire responses are.

Lots of people have asked what it was like sitting between Lance and Alberto that day. Did they have a quick thumb war as they shook hands? Was Lance wearing a hand buzzer to shock his Spanish rival? Did Alberto slip kryptonite into Lance's pocket? Of course none of those situations transpired. We chatted freely in fact, about the route and what we'd been up to since we last met.

That might be hard to imagine but rivals on the bike aren't always sworn enemies off the bike. They chat and text each other from time to time and it was nice to actually see them. Of course some riders get on better with others but everything was kept cordial. Of course next July I'd like us to be standing in those same positions, with me in the middle and Lance and Alberto on either side of me on the podium in Paris.

New house

So what's my plan for the rest of 2009? I'm going to take a bit of time off the bike to relax and take a vacation. As you all know I love America and in a few days I'll fly out to Miami with my best friend from back home, before heading to Curacao for 10 days. I want to enjoy my time off but I would be lying if I hadn't thought about next year's goals and how I'm going to achieve them.

Perhaps one of my biggest goals will be to finally have my new house completed. The building process was started from scratch but it has been going on for too long. Right now they're working on the fittings in the bathroom and kitchen. The upside of building from scratch is that I can decide on every detail, like having a television in my bathroom. Don't laugh, I'm serious. It's a necessity that all bathrooms should have.

After I get home from training the first thing I do is stick on MTV. Now I can do that and watch it while I shower. Makes perfect sense, doesn't it? The builders didn't see it that way, though. They looked at me like I was crazy when I explained this to them. But it's my casa and I want things done right.

Farewell to a friend

Just like last month I'll end by saying goodbye to someone on the team who is leaving for pastures new. Last month it was my good friend Karsten Kroon and this time it's another amigo, Brian Nygaard. Some of you may know him while others may not be familiar with him. For those who aren't, Brian is our Saxo Bank press relations manager. He's been with us for a long time and shared in many great wins and stressful moments.

Throughout that time he's been a gent, a total professional and always someone I could seek out and talk to. He's off to Sky next year, in search of new challenges and new goals. It might be a little weird seeing him around a different bus in 2010 but one thing that won't change is our friendship. Good luck, Brian.

A rollercoaster month

Published:

September 8, 21:43,

Updated:

September 9, 09:10

By:

Andy Schleck

After pulling out of Vuelta, Schleck readies for worlds

As summer draws to a close and autumn sweeps in, I've noticed a few changes develop in me over the last few weeks. Whether it's welling up at pictures of newborn children or saying farewell to teammates as they leave for new pastures, it's certainly been another rollercoaster month of emotions and experiences. Last time we caught up, I was about to start training for the Vuelta - my second Grand Tour of the year - but unfortunately, as you're probably aware, that race didn't go to plan and I was forced to abandon.

I turned up with a little bit of form, but in all honesty I was riding into the unknown and unsure of my fitness. In the prologue, I had really bad legs, but as the race went on I started to feel better and by the time Vaconsoleil's Borut Bozic won his stage, I was felling stronger.

However, the day after the time trial, I'd come down with stomach cramps and a fever. During the stage I was throwing up and I had no energy at all. I knew the writing was on the wall when I came down to breakfast that morning, but even so, I didn't want to give up. I struggled through the stage as far as I could but in the end when you're sick you're sick and it's better to stop than carry on and harm your body.

Mind you, the Vuelta wasn't all doom and gloom that day. In fact it was one of the happiest days I've had with the team. On the eve of the race we all knew that Stuart O'Grady's wife was expecting the couple's third child and at 3:00 am, the night before I pulled out, Stuey got the call from his wife: she was going into labour. That morning we came down to breakfast and were greeted to Stuey grinning from ear-to-ear and staring at a picture of mother and baby on his camera phone.

We all crowded rounded, patted him on the back and gave him our warm congratulations. It was all really emotional. Cyclists spend so many days on our bikes, suffering and away from our families and when moments like that come around, they really knock you for six. Fränk and I had tears in our eyes. The latest addition to the O'Grady clan is Taylor Grace and she's a beautiful, bouncing baby girl.

People always ask me what I dream of, what my greatest desire is. It's not winning the Tour de France, it's not even wining the Worlds or Olympics. It's hoping someday that I'm still healthy, that I'll have a nice wife and healthy children in my life. Okay, cycling is a part of my life, it's a job and of course I like it; it's a passion that burns deeply and drives me, but in reality it's just a small part of my life. As we crowded around Stuey that morning everyone shared that feeling. Maybe it's our bond as cyclists or just homesick men. I don't know.

But of course it wasn't long before we started to make jokes. We bought a robotic parrot and took it on the bus that morning. It records anything you say and had us in stitches as we listed to the director give his talk for the day. "I like" or "Stuey is a daddy again," came the robotic heckles as the directeur sportif looked around to see us cramping with laughter as he tried to give his instructions. At the end of the stage we gave the parrot to Stuey, who'll give it to his little girl when he sees her. It was great atmosphere in the team that day and it was a shame to leave.

I'm home now and resting up, hoping that I can still start training in a few days and kick start my Worlds preparation. I'm willing to race there but if it's not possible and I'm not 100 percent, then I won't travel. If I do go, it will be hard to beat guys like Damiano Cunego, Samuel Sánchez and Alejandro Valverde, who by then will have had three weeks of racing in their legs. Of course, they didn't do the Tour de France either, so they could also be a little fresher than me too.

But Luxembourg could have a really strong team in Switzerland this year. The only problem is that the three potential leaders are all out of form or recovering from illness. Fränk, my brother, is at the Vuelta and is soldering on with a dodgy knee, I'm at home sick and Kim Kirchen is recovering from illness, too. I heard last week that Kim has moved to Katusha. I hope that he has a great year next season. He's 31 now and with so many strong riders at Columbia, maybe it will be good for him to go to Katusha. Personally, I wish him all the best.

But the transfer mill has been in full swing now for a while now and riders have been moving teams for some time now. On the downside it's meant that we've lost one of our most liked and respected riders in Karsten Kroon, who has joined the ever-improving BMC squad for 2010. He let me know a few weeks ago that he'd signed for them and it came as a big blow for me personally.

Karsten is a great friend but at the end of the day money talks and there wasn't enough budget for him to stay with us. Over the years, he's worked his arse off for our team and been a tremendous ally in the Classics. Of course, at Amstel Gold I was there to try and help him win but in races like Liege, he was a real warrior for us. We'll definitely keep in touch, but Karsten, if you're reading this, thanks and best of luck. We'll all miss you.

Tears, criteriums and rumors

Published:

August 11, 16:59,

Updated:

August 11, 17:12

By:

Cycling News

Andy looks back at the Tour and forward to the Vuelta and Worlds

Whoever said big boys don't cry has never had the summer I've had. 38 days straight on the bike; a podium place in the Tour de France; a national title and a huge criterium in my home city. Since I rolled down the start ramp at the Tour in Monaco, it's been an emotional adventure and now, as I sit by my local lake fishing with just my dogs for company I can finally appreciate it all.

And what an adventure it's been. My whole year revolved around the Tour. From building up my stamina at our training camp in December to testing out our new Specialized bikes and racing in the spring – it was all about peaking for those three weeks in July.

I won't bore you by a blow-by-blow account of the race but I'll share a behind the scenes moment that will stick in my mind for as long as I live. The team were on the bus for the final stage in Paris. There was a lot of laughing and joking, everyone happy that the Tour was finished and we'd be so successful. But for me it was a really seminal and personal moment in my life.

It sounds silly but we'd spent three weeks on the road together and shared the huge highs and of course the deep lows that come with professional bike racing. There were Frank's and Nicki's stage wins; Jens and Chris crashing out and of course my place on the podium – a whole rollercoaster of experience and emotions.

But it was that moment of finality on the bus when I realised that the Tour was coming to an end. I'm not ashamed to admit that I was welling up.

No rest for the wicked

Since the Tour I've barely had time to stop and take stock. First there was a post-Tour party with my team and then the crit circuit began.

I must admit I like criteriums. They don't really suit me as s rider – there are no climbs – but the main thing I enjoy is the crowds and the support from the fans that turn out in their thousands to cheer us on. After a three-week race it's a real honour so race for so many people on such small circuits.

My final crit was in the Luxembourg capital and the crowds were incredible. We're a small nation of only 380,000 inhabitants but there were over 50,000 on the streets cheering us on.

A lot of kids see Frank and I as role models now and that puts pressure on us, but I'm happy to shoulder it. If I can do anything to help kids get into cycling that has to be a good thing.

Sport is such an important part of life when you're growing up. It doesn't have to be cycling, it can be anything, but staying active is a really important part of your life.

I remember when I was in school and everything revolved around cycling before and after school. Of course there was homework but there was never really much time to go to parties or head into the city that much. I missed out, but I think that was a good thing as some of my friends who went down that path haven't ended up in good places.

Rumor mill churning

Talking of pressure though, it really increased during this year's Tour de France. I don't see the media as a big distraction. I've been second at the Giro and from that point on there have always been expectations on me at every race I turn up for, but that's my job and I can handle it. People question my age but I've been a pro since the age of nineteen and this is my fifth year in the ranks so I've been around the block and know what it's all about.

But whatever you do as a rider you can't stop the media speculating. At this year's Tour I spoke to Lance Armstrong and guess what, there's a headline that I'm going to ride for him next year. I spoke to Alberto Contador and guess what, we're working together against Armstrong.

All I can say on the transfer front is that I have a contract for next year with Saxo Bank and I will respect that. There was never even a chance I'd change teams. Whether or not I'll be in a team with Armstrong one day, I don't know, as I don't know what will happen in the future. But for now I'll focus on next year and perform as best as I can for the team I'm with. We have a super team around me and Frank with great support and a brilliant bunch of staff and riders so why fix what isn't broken?

Next stop: Spain

Of course my season isn't finished just yet as I have the small matter of competing in the Vuelta to contend with. It'll be my first time in the race and I'm looking forward to it. In fact it'll be the first time I've ever ridden two Grand Tours in the same season.

My training starts today but I'll gently build up for the race as I want to still be in form for the world championships which start just a few days after the Vuelta's finishes.

Wish me luck, and if you spot me chatting to any other riders don't worry, I'm not looking for a contract!

Wet Cols and revelations

Published:

July 18, 16:15,

Updated:

July 18, 19:46

By:

Andy Schleck

Andy stays coy in Colmar

I’m dry at last. I’m in the hotel kicking back after a very long and very wet stage 13 to Colmar. It was a typically difficult stage in the rain, with a lot of stress. The leaders wanted to stay near the front, the sprinters didn’t want to get dropped and the domestiques were pulling all day long. It was a huge turnaround from the previous few days with temperatures plummeting by at least 15 degrees. On days like that it’s important to keep your body warm, but it’s just so hard when the rain is so relentless.

On to bigger fish and you’re probably wondering who I think will win the Tour de France. I’m not being coy but it really is too early to tell. On yesterday’s climbs both Armstrong and Contador looked strong, but so did my brother and some of the other favourites too.

I still think that it’s a wide open race. If you look at Cadel Evans, he might be a few minutes down but he’s still riding really strongly. I think he’d be less than thirty seconds down if it wasn’t for the team time trial. In fact, he attacked a few days ago. I have to say that it wasn’t a move I expected but some of the peloton were laughing when he went away. That’s a big mistake I thought when riders were chuckling away into their team radio. Cadel isn’t a guy I know personally but I have a lot of respect for him as a rider. Some say he never attacks but there he was, putting people into difficulty. Some of those people that laughed won’t be laughing when the race hits the Alps and he’s a main contender.

Looking at some of the other candidates it’s obvious that Menchov has given up on the overall. He might still be able to get into a break but the yellow jersey is probably over for him. Carlos Sastre, last year’s winner and my old teammate, might have just lost too much time, but I still expect him to fight. That’s the thing about the Tour de France, you can’t count people out at any stage. The race doesn’t finish until the line in Paris and everyone who wants to do well in this race would do well to remember that.

There have been two revelations in this year’s race as far as I’m concerned and they’re both in the top 10 overall. I don’t know Bradley Wiggins that well but I remember when I was a kid he raced in Luxembourg and won a race there; the same race I won a few years later. I know he went and spent a lot of time on the track but I’m really surprised to see him up there. It’s exciting to have new people up there and of course you also have the German, Tony Martin. He is a rider with a huge engine and in my opinion he’s one of the favourites to win this race one day. He can climb pretty well, although I don’t know how he’ll be in the Alps this year.

Like I said, it’s a totally wide open race and, a bit like last year, it might come down to just one big attack. You don’t have the chance to attack 20 times. You have to wait and see and take your chances when you can. With my own form I’ll be a bit more guarded when it comes to predictions. I started in Monaco feeling very strong and I’m not sure if I can improve my shape, but we’re 13 stages down and I’m still feeling strong.

Before I run downstairs for my massage I just wanted to talk about two of my teammates and friends who have had very different Tour experiences in the last few days. Firstly, Kurt-Asle Arvesen, who unfortunately had to pull out after breaking his collarbone. It’s a real shame to lose someone like him, and I’m not just saying that on a superficial level. We’re a bunch of riders who really pride ourselves on our collective spirit. I know a lot of teams come out with clichés like that but with us it’s the real deal. Kurt is a true friend and it’s a real shame he’s gone. We were planning on racing together after the Tour and now that plan has been destroyed. However, Kurt will be in Paris for the end of the Tour and I’m really looking forward to seeing him again. Kurt, if; you’re reading this, I hope you’re feeling better soon.

The second Saxo rider I have to mention is Nicki Sörensen who won stage 12. Again it’s going to sound like a team PR has put a knife to my throat and told me to say this but it’s all true. Nicki has been with the team for a long time now and he’s done the Tour on a few occasions. He’s the consummate teammate who will never stop working and a rider who the Schlecks owe a lot. Do you remember when Frank won Amstel? It was Nicki who did so much of the groundwork for him. In fact, he did the very same thing for me in Liege this year, too. He always sacrifices everything for the team and when a guy like him wins a stage it’s just an incredible reward for all his hard work. If I could wish anyone in the team a stage win it would be Fränk, but Nicki second.

Schleck machine

Published:

July 8, 09:56,

Updated:

July 8, 10:20

By:

Andy Schleck

Twitter-mania hits the peloton as Andy gears up for the mountains of the Tour

Damn this Twitter malarkey. Sorry everyone but I’ve just joined the 21st century and signed up to Twitter – the fastest growing way tell the world about each time you brush your teeth, blink or even think about blinking. A friend recommended I should join, I’ve been on it for the last week and I’m starting to get used to it now, although don't expect any Tweets from the peloton.

But my main focus, unsurprisingly, has been on the Tour de France. As you’ll have seen it’s been a hard but exciting race so far, from the stage in Monaco, to the cross winds on stage three and then the lung-busting effort in yesterday’s team time trial.

Everything got off to a great start on Saturday. The hotel in Monaco was the nicest place I’ve ever stayed in and I didn’t really want to leave. As for my performance in the time trial, I was pretty happy to finish in the top twenty. When I crossed the line I thought I’d done badly but that’s always the way with racing against the clock, isn’t it? There are times when you think you’re flying up the climbs and when you finish you’re way down and then there are times like Sunday when you feel like you’re dragging yourself along and then you end up with a respectable time.

I guess it shows that I was really digging deep. I’ve put a lot of work into my time trialling this year. You could be forgiven for thinking I had my feet up the day after I’d won Liege but instead I was out testing my time trial bike at 10am. If you want to lay the foundations for success you have to start early.

I can’t move on without talking about Fabian . He has been immense in both time trials. You could see how strong he was in yesterday’s team time trial when he was pulling the entire team along.

Personally, it was a very hard stage. It’s difficult to describe just how tough the team time trial is. In an individual test you can ride at your level and adjust the level of pain by backing off but in a team effort you can’t do that. You have to adapt to the efforts of others. I could have gone a bit faster on the climbs, perhaps, but on the flat run in I couldn’t pass Fabian, who was doing an incredible 75km/h!

Overall, the team are happy with the performance. We don’t have the same amount of time trial specialists as Garmin, Columbia or Astana, so to beat two of those teams and retain the yellow jersey is a great result for us. Hats off to Astana though, they were the strongest team.

However, I have to join the chorus of rider that criticised the course. This is the Tour de France and the organisers can pick any road they want to. So why seek out some of the smallest and most dangerous roads in the country?

The next big test will come on Friday when we climb up towards Arcalis. I can’t really predict what exactly will happen but I know the race is going to split up and we’ll see just how good my form is on the final climb. I’ll give it everything and I hope I can stay in front and maybe even a little bit further in front, if you know what I mean.

But Friday is just one day, every day is hard at the Tour and you need a lot of energy for the final week of the Tour.

Speaking of which, it’s time for dinner and then some much needed rest
 

Pimp my 'team bus' ride

Published:

June 20, 16:48,

Updated:

June 20, 18:27

By:

Andy Shleck

Fish tanks and fun on the bus in Switzerland

For fans, the sight of team buses rolling in and out of a race's start area must give the impression of modern day Trojan horses, packed with their favourite heroes, ready for battle on the roads and cobbles of Europe. With their tinted windows, team war paint emblazoned down the sides and their sheer bulk, they do cut an impressive figure. The reality is that from the inside they're totally different. In fact, they're just like any other bus. Okay, so they may be pimped out with televisions, showers and sound systems but they still possess the same wonky arm rests, youngsters down the back and a bus driver constantly subjecting his passengers to his own individual interpretation of "popular" music.

Why am I talking about buses? Well, right now we're driving to the start of stage five at the Tour de Suisse. I'm in my usual spot at the back of the bus, next to Fabien Cancellara, who right now has his earphones plugged in. I'm always at the back, usually lying down and listening to music. It's a regular pattern for me, just as it is for Chris Anker Sorenson to sit at the head of the bus reading. He gets motion sick so he can't sit at the back. ‘It's too much like a roller coaster' he tells us. I've refrained from pointing out to him that reading can't be all that good for preventing his motion sickness. Then there's our bus driver who tapes MTV for us and once we hit the road he'll put it on.

But hands-down my favourite feature on our team bus is the aquarium we have at the back. It's not actually part of the bus's specification but we have a faulty rear window that over time has collected a lot of rain water between the two sheets of glass. Now, don't go calling the World Wide Fund for Nature just yet - Matti Breschel and I've haven't been stuffing any goldfish through the gap. Instead, Matti and the gang have been drawing an aquatic-themed collage on the window. I must say, Matti's portrait of Sponge Bob Square Pants is truly exceptional and once he's hung up his wheels he could easily turn his attention to art.

Speaking of Matti, he took an excellent win here in Suisse in a sprint finish. We turned pro in the same year and we've both been with the team ever since, so it was great to see him take the stage yesterday and even more so as I was in the break with him.

Right now the atmosphere on the bus is pretty relaxed. Fabien won the prologue and grabbed the leader's jersey, adding Matti's win to that has means we're all now on cloud nine. Last night we relaxed by watching Ace Ventura Pet Detective. It's a classic. It has had the team in stitches and we haven't stopped doing impressions of Ace since - on the bus, at the dinner table, wherever we go. Those who've encountered us in the past 24 hours have probably confused us for escaped mental patients.

In terms of pre-race rituals, we all stay relaxed up until an hour before the start. At that point you've got to focus and start preparing yourself. It doesn't matter if it's a four kilometre prologue or a mammoth 260km mountain stage: you've got to be ready. Usually it's a little spark that gets me going and into the zone, be it a flick through the race manual or a song on MTV. Even the look of expectation or apprehension from a teammate or Bjarne Riis can be enough.

Being a Tour Favourite

Frank and I said that if either of us won something during the Classic season, we'd celebrate by buying something big. After my win in Liege-Bastogne-Liege you're probably thinking we went out and spent our money on fast cars and bling but alas, no, instead we bought a small pond near where we live. Not very rock'n'roll I'll admit, but that's fine. We've already spent a lot of time together there and it's a great place to relax, do some fishing and have barbeques with friends.

Unfortunately, there won't be much time for fishing in the next few weeks. The Tour is less than a month away and by the time I've finished here at the Tour de Suisse I'll pretty much be ready for the start in Monaco. A few people have told me that this is my biggest race ever. I don't really sign up to that theory but I can assure you that I'll be giving it my all. My preparation has been better than ever and I'm ready to suffer for three weeks.

Last week the team held a training camp in the Alps. We did all of the stages but also spent a lot of time on our time trial bikes. I know it's not my strength and I don't enjoy doing but I also know that it's vital I improve. Bobby Julich has been fantastic, passing his time trial knowledge on to me.

I think the final week of the race will be the most critical and the last four stages are really hard. The finish on the Galibier is going to be tough and, of course, I'm already thinking about the stage to Ventoux as well - after three weeks of racing it's going to be a real leg breaker. I for one cannot wait!