Interview with Frank:"A season similar to this one? Yes,please!":

First of all:if any of you is already in a very "Thanks God,Curaçao is coming soon!I can't wait to see some nice pics of the Schleck brothers!" mood,on Andy's twitter (http://tweetphoto.com/zzyca9iq ) there's a pic you're surely going to love (thanks Andy for sharing it!).

Anyway the main reason for which I'm writing this post is an interview with Frank Schleck that appeared on the website of the newspaper "Luxembourg Wort" and was made by Joe Geimer.At the end of it there is written that the online-interview is just a part of a bigger article about Frank.Said article appeared on the "paper version" of the Luxembourg Wort on the 30-10-09. Now,is there any very kind Luxembourgish person that reads my blog and has this article? If so,would he/she be so kind to send it to me so that I can publish it here? I think that lots of people (me included) would be very happy if they could read the whole article.
Anyway,while waiting for the answer,here's my not-so-great translation of the online article (link to the interview in German: http://www.wort.lu/wort/web/sport/artikel/53627/eine-aehnliche-saison-ja-gerne.php ):

FRANK SCHLECK: "A SEASON SIMILAR TO THIS ONE? YES,I'D LOVE TO!"
Survival camp in Fuerteventura on the 30th November/ First 2010 race will probably be in Mallorca

He had some nice victories during the 2009 season.At the Tour of California in fact he won a stage,then he won the Tour of Luxembourg (first Luxembourgish since 1983) and then he won the Grand Bornard stage at the Tour de France,a moment that will remain unforgettable in the Luxembourgish cycling history.
Frank Schleck can be really satisfied with his last season.At the Tour de France he was one of the main protagonists of the race and he left his sign also on the Ardenne classics.
"It was an amazing year,I could achieve lots of victories during it.The first victory in California gave me a lot of self-confidence and allowed me to look in a calmer mood to the other goals of the year.The Ardenne's classics were the first goal of the season,but unfortunately my crash during the Amstel Gold Race made things change.Andy and I were in a very good condition,we could have won that race",said the Saxo Bank rider on Wednesday morning.The images of him lying motionless on the asphalt are unforgettable.The definition of "worst fear (ndr;of the career?)" seems absolutely correct for defining that day."The first fall was a shock,but the second one...I still can't remember what happened when I fall. Btw,at the end it turned out that I had a lot of luck on that day",said Frank.
"After the crash I had to skip the Fleche Wallonne and during the Liegé I still couldn't use all my strength,so Andy's triumph was something really special.Considering that before of crossing the finish-line I already knew that Andy had won the race,I really regret not having tried everything to get the 2nd placement that day.It would have been possible to get it,but I was overhwelmed by the emotions",he admits openly.Then,with a meaningful smile,he says: "Andy and I have already made an agreement about next year:he'll win the Amstel Gold Race,but I'll win the Liege".
After a break,the two brothers raced the Tour of Luxembourg."The victory of the Tour of Luxembourg was really special because of the many fans that were there.It was an unbelievable emotion.With that victory I could also thank the fans for their very loyal support".The Schleck brothers also made a great impression at the Tour de Suisse."We had Fabian Cancellara in the team and he was one of the favourites for the final victory,so we decided to work for him.The Tour de Suisse wasn't as hard as in the last years and Fabian was perfect in taking the chance of winning.The Tour de Suisse is the best preparation for the Tour de France". And the "Grande Boucle" was raced just few weeks after the Tour de Suisse.At the Tour Frank won a stage and came in 5th in the final GC,with a delay of 6'04" from the winner Alberto Contador.Anyway Frank isn't completely satisfied with that result."I know that I can get even better results.With a bit more of luck,I would have surely been on the final podium in Paris already this year.One of the goals for the future is very clear:to stay with Andy on the Tour de France podium in Paris.It would be a great thing and and it wouldn't be impossible".
After the Tour of France,Frank's season was almost over.He was at the start of the Vuelta a Espana,wanted to race the Mendrisio Worlds,but then the end of the season arrived faster than planned.In fact Frank got retired from the Tour of Spain after just 10 stages.What happened?
"Since the end of March I had been worried about the pain in my left knee.At the Tour de France I had to survive some really hard days.After the Tour,I went to a doctor and asked him for advice.He told me that,if I could stand the pain,I could have kept on riding.But during the Vuelta,I got retired and I decided to have surgery on my left knee in order to remove the excess of tissue that used to hurt me as a consequence of the friction caused by many hours spent riding my bike.Unfortunately I had to skip the Worlds and the last races of the season in Italy as a consequence of this,but I chose the right moment to undergo surgery.Now I can relax,stay calm and try to recuperate my strength.Next year I'll come back as strong as usual and I'd like to have a season similar to this one.It was a great year",concluded Frank Schleck before of saying goodbye to us and go our for a quick training session.

(pics by Serge Waldbillig and Tim De Waele)