Another Interview...

So,Christmas holidays are nearly over and this means that I have to come back to school.That's a very sad thing.Especially because it won't be a quiet comeback.On Thursday I have an oral test in Art,while tomorrow my class has to stay at school until 4 pm because we have an Italian lesson of 2 hour in the afternoon.In fact our Italian teacher says that we're late on the schedule and that we'll have to study lots of things in a very short time if we want to finish the programme before of the end of the school.Well,it's not my fault if she hasn't come to school for a month...However,the wonderful thing is that it's been snowing the whole night and it hasn't stopped yet.Maybe I won't be able to go to school tomorrow.... =)

Btw,I don't want to bore you too much with my problems,so here I've got 2 interesting things.The first is an article about Saxo Bank that I've found on www.velonews.com .It talks about the whole team and it's quite interesting (in my opinion,of course).

However,if you want to read something about the Schleck brothers,I've translated an interview that appeared on www.tuttobiciweb.it in June 2007.I think it's quite interesting,because there is Frank that talks about Andy.In a certain point,he says that they live together at their parents' house,but according to another interview that I'm trying to translate (and that was made in March 2008) now they live alone,in different houses.

Schleck:my brother Andy (an article of Paolo Broggi).
The title of “Giro’s revelation” completely belongs to this luxembourgian boy tall and slim (186 cms for 66 kg) with a kid face.Andy Schleck has just turned 22 and has ended his first Grand Tour with the white jersey on his shoulders:he’s the best young rider.
To discover the secrets of this new star,we asked for help to the person who knows him best:his brother Frank.Frank,who was born in 1980,last year won the Amstel Gold Race and the Alpe d’Huez stage in the Tour and this year has come 3rd in the Liege after making the decisive move together with Danilo Di Luca.
Everyday,for the first half of the Giro,Frank turned the tv in his home at Mondorf-les-Bains on in order to watch the race with his mum and his dad.Everyday,during the second half of the pink race, after proving the climbs of the Pyrenees in order to be ready for the Tour,he ran into his hotel to watch his brother’s enterprises on tv. “No,it hasn’t been a surprise for me.I knew that Andy would have raced a great Giro,even if this was his first Grand Tour.I noticed that Andy improved a lot during the Ardenne’s classics:he did pretty well in the Amstel,then he improved of 25% in the Fleche and in the Liege he improved again.During that race he made a wonderful job and he sacrificed himself for me.And then he kept on improving in the Tour of Romandy.I believe he ran a great Giro and he also showed that he’s never afraid of attacking.This means he’s a true champion”.
Do you train together?
“Always:we work together in a very intensive way,and we motivate and help each other during the difficult moments.And we work really really hard.In fact,nobody in Luxembourg wants to train with us. But maybe it’s better this way,because this has made us become even more united”.
So,you’re more than brothers...
“Yes.We’re very close friends,we know each other perfectly,we know what the other needs and we’re always together.For me being able to train with Andy is a big advantage”.
The person that made you start racing was your father,right?
“Considering that my dad was a pro rider,an helper in the Bic of Luis Ocana (ndr;sorry but my computer hasn’t got the “egne”,as Spanish call that symbol over the “n”) and that he also raced with riders like Mercx and Anquetil,well,I don’t think that things could have gone differently.But nobody ever forced us to ride our bikes and for lots of years we've seen cycling just as something to have fun with.I started when I was 13,instead Andy started when he was 11”.
Did you win lots of races when you were young?
“Yes,Andy won more races than me.If my memory doesn’t fail me,I think he won the luxembourgian championship in all the categories.He kept on winning even when I came to Italy,in the De Nardi of Enrico Zanardi.For me those 2 years were very hard,but they gave me a lot (ndr:it would mean:I learned a lot during those years):I like Italy because of the passion that Italian people have for cycling.Our sport needs countries like Italy,with passionates and competents fans”.

Did you hear your brother often during the Giro?
“Often? Very often! Twice in the morning,before of the stage,and two or 3 times in the evening.We talk about everything,about the races and the trainings,our lives and our friends. Even when we don’t have any race we’re always together,so we’ve got lots of things to talk about”.
What are your passions?
“We like going hunting and fishing in the woods near to our village.We’re 2 normal boys,with feet down on Earth.We still live with our parents and we like simple things”.
Do you give him advice?
“Sometimes I do,after all I’m more expert than him,but in the end he always takes his decisions. Everybody has to find his own way,and he found his after a very short time”.
But are there any difference between you two?
“Yes,he likes chips,I love pasta.I’ve learned in Italy”.
And from the tactic point of view?
“I used to think I was stronger than him on the climbs,but after the Giro...well,I had to change my mind.Now I’ll tell you about a little episode that happened in the Liege:I was with Boogerd, Rebellin and other strong riders,and on the Redoute I made Andy attack.Man,the adversaries immediately sprang like springs because they confused us and they took some seconds to realize what had actually happened”.
When will you run a Grand Tour together?
“Maybe next year.In the Giro? Well,it’s difficult.If a rider has the Ardenne’s classics between his goals,he need a rest period after them.And I always have the Ardenne’s classics between my goals.Together we’d form a wonderful pair,I’m sure of this.If the Giro had been in September, then it would have been far easier to see us there together”.
Have you got a girlfriend?
“Andy doesn’t and...well,let’s say that I’m free”.
Let’s end the interview with a question to Frank Schleck about Frank Schleck:what are your goals for this year Tour?
“A place in the Top 10,maybe with a stage win”.
(Photos by Corvospro and...Tim De Waele?).