"Who if not Andy?"/"Fignon et fae"

1 post for 2 translated articles.The first one is about tonight's Gala of the Luxembourgish press,the second one is about Andy's reply to what Fignon said about him and Frank during the Tour.

WHO IF NOT ANDY?

"Mais qui d'autre que lui" can be the 2009 Luxembourgish Sportsman of the Year,Le Quotidien's journalist Denis Bastien asks? Of course "lui" is Andy Schleck,winner of 2009 Liége-Bastogne-Liége,best young rider and second in the final GC at the 2009 Tour de France.On http://lequotidien.editpress.lu/les-sports/6863.html there's an article written by mr.Bastien about tonight's Gala of the Luxembourgian Sport Press,during which the Luxembourgian Sportsman and Sportwoman of the year will be chosen.
Here are the nominees for the Man title: Steve Blasen (quilles),Dirk Bockel (triathlon),Laurent Carnol (swimming),Kim Kirchen (cycling),Gilles Muller (tennis), Mario Mutsch (football),Sasha Palgen (gymnastique),Andy and Frank Schleck (cycling), Mike Schumacher (athletic),Marc Seidel (canoeing),Raphaël Stacchiotti (swimming).
The nominees for the Women's title instead are: Christine Mailliet (swimming),Liz May (triathlon),Marie Muller (judo),Ni Xia Lian (table tennis) and Srah Rolko (swimming).

According to Le Quotidien (and also to both Logic and Fangirl),it seems that the person who has more chances to win the male title is Andy Schleck.Btw,here's the translation of Le Quotidien article:

Andy Schleck should be named Sportsman of the Year 2009.Last year the award was won by Kim Kirchen.

Another cyclist is going to win the Luxembourgish Sportsman of the Year award.In the last years,we've actually got used to this.Who else but cyclists can get the trophy for best sportsman? And,talking about this year,who if not Andy Schleck can win the award?

Andy's brother Frank is a big contender for the title,since he won a great stage at this year Tour de France.Both Frank and Andy in fact rode a great TdF and saved the Grande Boucle from being terribly boring.In fact the brothers were the only ones who tried to create problems to Alberto Contador.Until the end of the race the Schlecks remained on guard,just like they do when they go hunting.Unfortunately for them,the door to the Tour's success remained closed and Alberto Contador won the race for the second time in his career.

Abroad,Andy Schleck is now considered Contador's strongest contender;however,Andy gets on well with the Spaniard,who instead had problems with getting on with Lance Armstrong during this year Grande Boucle.

This year both the Schleck brothers also got terribly close to arriving on the final Tour podium in Paris.In fact Frank's final fifth placement and Andy's second one behind Contador made many cycling lovers (also outside of Luxembourg) very happy. But what will probably allow Andy Schleck to get his first award in the annual Sport Gala is the beauty of his Liége-Bastogne-Liége victory,that is also the most beautiful classic for climbers.

"There are 2 great classics in cycling,which are very different from one another and suit different kinds of riders.I know that many people think that the the most beautiful classic is Paris-Roubaix,but I keep on thinking that the nicest one day race is Liège-Bastogne-Liège.And I don't say this just because I've won that race this year",says Andy Schleck (...).

Andy Schleck made a masterpiece and wrote some pages of cycling history when he won this year's Liége.His attack on the Roche aux Faucons,nineteen kms from the finish of the race,was amazing.In his triumph,Andy even had the time to notice the Luxembourgish flags that the supporters had put near to the finish-line.Later,he found himself in the arms of his brother Frank,who had just recovered from his horrible crash in the Amstel Gold Race,and then passed from hug to hug until he reached his mother Gaby,moved to tears by the emotion.Andy was no longer the little boy who used to hold his father's hand on the côté de Bastogne every time that the Schleck family went to see the Doyenne.

From the Roche aux Faucons to Ans,during this year Liége,people could only see Andy' slender silhouette,so thin and so strong at the same time.After years during which the victory was decided in a sprint between the strongest climbers (sprint that in the past took away the victory from Frank's hands twice),Andy decided to attack with 19 kms to go and managed to put his sign on the race.He had planned to attack in that point already 2 days before of the race,but this wasn't a sign of arrogance or of aggressiveness,it was just a sign of great self-confidence.The self-confidence that only great champions have.«L'envol d'un faucon» ("the flight of the hawk"),as L'Equipe journalists defined it.

"With his attack on the Roche aux Faucons,Andy Schleck flew over la Doyenne with all his class",they wrote the day after Andy's triumph.Andy was immediatrly compared to Eddy Merckx and to Bernard Hinault,who wrote great pages of the cycling history on the Liége roads. But in the end,the best tribute to Andy's victory probably came from Lance Armstrong, who never won the Doyenne. "During one stage of the Tour he congratulated on my victory and told me that he had never seen a rider dominate the Liége classic as I did in April.That compliment,made by Armstrong,really pleased me,»Andy says.It is probably with the same pleasure that the 72 members of the Luxembourgish Sport Press will give the victory of this year's award to this young rider.

FIGNON ET FAE:

http://www.sporten.dk/tour-de-france-etaperne/andy-schleck-fignon-et-fae :in an interview with Cycle Sport,Andy said that Laurent Fignon is a "fæ",Danish word that my friend Google Translate translates with "fool".Here's my translation of the article as it appeared on Sporten.Dk:

The most of the time,Andy Schleck is a rock of calm and serenity.But don't go to him and say that his brother Fränk braked him during the 2009 edition of the Tour de France (...).The 2 times winner of the TdF Laurent Fignon critiziced the behaviour of the Schleck brothers during this year Tour by saying that Frank braked Andy's possibilities during this year edition of the race.

-What Fignon wrote about the relationship between Frank and me during the Tour,all those things about Frank braking me and so on,they were really stupid.I respect Fignon for what he achieved during his career,but people like him don't understand how important Frank is to me. When Frank is with me,I can ride better.Frank has been a a cyclist for a long time now and so he's very good at understanding how a race will develop.And we like to work well for each other-,Andy Schleck said.-I really would have loved to see Frank on the Paris podium with me. When he won the Grand Bornard stage at the Tour,I was actually more pleased than when I came in 2nd in the final GC",Andy concluded.