Interviews about L-B-L's winner:

Yep,that's the day after L-B-L's victory for Andy Schleck.Here are some interviews I've found about him.

Andy Schleck finally came of age in Sunday's Liège-Bastogne-Liège, gaining his biggest victory by some distance. Until this weekend, the funny thing about Andy Schleck was that he hadn't actually won much. Before his win at Liège, he had won just three races, and one of those was the Luxembourg time trial championships. The other two were stages at the 2006 Sachsen Tour. Yet he will begin this year's Tour as a favourite, and if we were Alberto Contador, we'd be just as worried about him as about Lance Armstrong. The plans is that Schleck will be one of two team leaders at Saxo Bank come July, the other being his older brother Frank. "Yeah, I think so," he said. "We see. Last year I focused on the Tour, the Olympics and Liège. I always focus a little out of reach. I didn't win last year but to be up there is already something." Schleck junior wasn't just 'up there' in those three races, he dominated each of them in their crucial stages. In Liège he jumped clear of the bunch on La Redoute, then pulled the winning group clear when four riders bridged across to him. At the Olympics he looked unstoppable on the horrifically humid climb to Badaling, so good that Davide Rebellin couldn't, or wouldn't, do a turn to help, although the canny Italian had known exactly whose wheel to follow. At the Tour he was the revelation of the race, as he was in the 2007 Giro when at the age of 21 he finished second and won the best young riders competition. However, it was last year's Tour where Schleck really showed the world his talents. In the Alps at the end of the race he looked the strongest rider in the race on more than one occasion. He did an incredible amount of work on the climb to Prato Nevoso in Italy, then again on the 2,802m high Bonette de Restefond, while on Alpe d'Huez he toyed with a group of riders containing Cadel Evans, Alejandro Valverde, Christian Vande Velde and Denis Menchov. "Sometimes I get dropped and still look like I'm not suffering," he admits. "But in the Alps I was really strong. We went up the Alpe and at the top I was like, 'that's it?' It went so quick, and that's a sign that I had good legs." Andy Schleck did such a good job of marking the race favourites on Alpe d'Huez that Sastre won the race there and then. But Sastre did so by taking the yellow jersey from Frank Schleck. It's well known now that Sastre subsequently fell out with team manager Bjarne Riis as it became clear he'd be riding for Cervelo in 2009. It must have been hard for Andy to do the work that essentially meant his brother lost the Tour de France. "Kind of," came another nonchalant reply. "But that's the strength of our team, we are loyal to our leader. To be really honest I would have loved Frank to have won the stage and gotten some time, but as we saw in the final time trial Carlos was fantastic, so it was him who deserved it. At the beginning of the Tour we said we had three leaders. Frank was in yellow [on Alpe d'Huez] and they were watching him more than Carlos. The morning of the stage we had a meeting and we said we wanted to win the stage and get time on the field.Sometimes you have to play your card, Carlos attacked and he was really strong that day, and for Frank and me there was no doubt. We said 'we have your back', and we did perfect work behind. We planned to attack first with Carlos, and if they would have chased him back it would have been Frank and then me. But he was really strong, and he stayed out there and as soon as we saw 30 seconds we [just controlled] the race behind him. It was cool, we had a plan that day and it worked out perfectly. Also he's been there for so many years and worked for other guys. I mean on the Alpe, Frank, me or Carlos could have won the stage." The Schleck brothers will have to put sibling rivalry behind them if they're to take on the might of Astana this July. Don't underestimate the rivalry – no matter how friendly it is, it goes back 20 years, to the 1989 Tour and Andy's earliest memories of his brother. “I don't know why, but I was totally [for] Greg Lemond and he was totally [for] Fignon. I remember the last day he was actually crying because Fignon lost the Tour and I was happy.”
Here's another interview that I've translated from French (yes,French:you didn't expect it,did you?).

During a press conference that he had to interrupt because of a "wee-pause" ("I had to drink a lot for the anti-doping control",he excused himself),the Luxembourgian Andy Schleck,L-B-L's winner,underlined the importance of his brother Frank: "He cried a little at the end of the race,but I didn't",he said "When he won AGR,it happened the contrary:I cried,he didn't".
J:Do you realise you made a great numero?
"I want to stay with my feet on the ground,I don't want to be arrogant or something like that.I made a good numero,but without my team it would have been impossible to do what I've done".
J:Tell us about your week.
"On AGR's evening I was really shocked when I saw Frank's fall.For 2 days my mental condition hasn't been at 100% because my mind was always with my brother.He was really lucky.In the Fleche I was strong but I didn't win.I was happy with my second place,but at the same time I was also a bit disappointed.Today I made a good race and I think it'll be hard to do better in the future".
J:Tell us about the race.
"I decided to take a risk on the cote de la Roche aux Faucons.My team made a wonderful job when I attacked.Without them I would have arrived with all the other favourites because I really gave everything I had in that attack".
J: Were you impatient to win?
"I won 2 stages at the Sachsen Tour,but it's not the same thing.Last year I worked very hard for my team during the Tour,even if I could have won a stage in the Alps.You're always impatient to win,and my dream was to arrive on the finish line alone".
J:When did you understand you've made it?
"There were still 10 kms to go and I had 1.30 of advantadge on the others,so I thought:'they can't catch me anymore'.It was a bit like watching a race on tv.I remained very concentrated. You can fall,you can die...I pulled until there were just 500 meters to go,then I relaxed myself".
J:You do well in Grand Tours and also in one-day races.
"I think that Grand Tour riders can win also one-day classics.I see myself well in a race like the Tour of Flanders in one or two years time.I think Contador could win a Liege.There are no doubts.My brother is always in front,in the classics and in Grand Tours.I don't have the physique to win Paris-Roubaix,but maybe I can try winning Amstel Gold Race,Giro di Lombardia and Tour of Flanders..."

J: And the Tour?

"My dream was to win Liege...(break).Yes,now I dream of winning the Tour.If this should happen,I'd be very happy.Anyway,I think I still have to train a lot."

J:You're one of the best riders of your generation.

"I can still improve.A rider can keep on improving until he's 25-26.I also train a lot.There are some good talented riders,but maybe I work more than them.Tonight I have a party because of my winning.Tomorrow (on Monday) I'm going to train with the TT bike.I've said it,I'm going to focus on the Tour now.And I start today!"And because as we say here in Italy,there's no 2 without a 3,here's a third interview:

Luxembourger Andy Schleck, 23-years-old and the youngest of the Schleck brothers, left a grand impression on everyone who witnessed his performance at Liège-Bastogne-Liège on Sunday . He blasted away from the opposition on the Côte de la Roche aux Faucons and rode a 20km solo to win in Ans. He was already regarded as one of the biggest talents in the peloton, and this win only confirmed his abilities.
Compared with a rider like 21-year-old Edvald Boasson Hagen, who still is finding his capabilities, Andy Schleck has already proved himself. If anything, he only further raised the expectations for his future with his win in Liège.
After finishing as runner-up at the Giro d'Italia in 2007, and winning the white best young rider's jersey at the Tour de France last year, Schleck claimed victory in one of the toughest one-day races of the season, La Doyenne, the oldest of the Classics as organizer Amaury Sport Organization (ASO) describes the race, one of the five Monuments, in its programme. The fact that the race can be described in so many ways says a lot about its importance.
On Sunday evening, a couple of hours after the race had finished, Andy Schleck walked into the press room in Ans to talk about his win, but not before he apologized for showing up late after delivering the liquid goods at the post-race doping controls proved as much of a challenge as winning the race itself. The press conference had a special atmosphere thanks to a sort of magic, relaxed aura that surrounds Schleck.
The way Andy Schleck walks, talks, and looks around, as if he has nothing to worry about, is not often witnessed in the cycling peloton, and especially not with the stars. Without pointing to anyone in particular, many riders seem as if they would rather not be bothered about the fans and media. On the other hand, the charismatic Schleck seems to care about them in the way of non-cycling figures such as Barack Obama. There is no trouble imagining Schleck like the guy next door stopping by for a coffee. One Belgian journalist called Schleck the Tom Boonen of Luxembourg.
When Schleck was confronted with the many expectations upon him, he didn't play along in the game of the journalists who already had their story in mind. "I'll always remain the youngest of the Schlecks, and I'll stay with my feet on the ground," he said.
"Maybe I pulled off a nice numéro, but without the team, I wouldn't have been able to do it. I was very happy to have my brother at the start, after such a hectic week," said Schleck of his brother Fränk, who crashed hard one week earlier in the Amstel Gold Race and seemed briefly to be dealing with a life threatening situation.
"Mentally I wasn't 100% after that, but then I finished second in the Flèche Wallonne and now there's this win; solo on the Côte d'Ans," said Andy Schleck. "It doesn't get much better than this. I knew I was good, and I wanted to attack on that specific climb, but it was a risk to play my cards that early."
At this point in the press conference, Schleck stood up and said he had to go to the bathroom. Apparently all those liquids at doping control finally kicked in. "I'll be back in a minute, don't worry," he said confidently.
Young, capable riders often turn their focus from the Spring Classics to the Grand Tours, but Schleck said he isn't planning to make this switch. "In the future, I'll keep combining the Spring Classics and the Grand Tours (in my programme). For instance, next year I might have a go at the Tour of Flanders. It's all a matter of mentality, whether you can focus on these races. (Alberto) Contador would be able to win here as well, just like Lance Armstrong was able to battle for the win at the Amstel Gold Race."
The young man from Luxembourg joins other riders who won Liège-Bastogne-Liège at the tender age of 23 or 24 including Silvano Contini, Steven Rooks, Evgeni Berzin, Frank Vandenbroucke. None of these names managed to make the transition into the category of the biggest riders of their era although others, like Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Sean Kelly and more recently Lance Armstrong, did.
Schleck realizes he needs to take a few more steps before he can join the Merckx list and said humbly, "For now, I haven't won much and I also haven't won the Tour de France. I've only won Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Before this, I've only won stages in the Sachsen Tour which is another level. During last year's Tour, I was capable of winning stages in the Alps, but didn't go for it in order to take care of the team; one day that'll pay off for me."
"This day marks the start of a new build-up. This was day one of the preparation for the Tour de France. I wanted to be 100% during this week and now I want to be 100% at the Tour de France. So tomorrow I'll be doing some serious testing to work on my time trial positioning."
As if he wanted to scare his rivals Schleck pointed out that he hasn't reached his limit yet. "I'm only 23 years old now, and I believe I can still improve. Before the age of 26 you're just working on your basic skills."
"Finishing alone on top of the Côte d'Ans was a dream, and it became reality. In the same way, I'm dreaming of winning the Tour de France, and hopefully it'll happen as well. For now, I've got a lot of work to do in order to win the Tour de France, but it's not wrong to dream, is it?"

(Photos TDW)