King Philippe gets his 4th consecutive victory:

Amazing, wonderful, great, epic, destined to enter cycling history.
These are just some of the words/sentences that people could use to define Philippe Gilbert's victory in today Liége - Bastogne - Liége. The Belgian was the strongest rider of the field once again and on the podium he was sandwiched between the Schleck brothers. In fact, for the first time since 2009, this afternoon a Schleck (actually two) came back on the podium of a Classic. But still, the brothers seemed unable to do anything to beat Gilbert, who brought his little son Alan on the top spot of the podium once again. And so, after less than one year of life, Gilbert jr. can already say that he's been on the top spot of both AGR and LBL's podiums. I'm sure there would be lots of older people who'd pay very big sums in order to have those experiences too.

Today race was really exciting, at least if seen from the (impartial) point of view of a Schleck supporter. For the first time I could see Leopard Trek working as a team at the front of a Classic, although the pulling style of one of the riders made me ask some questions about the team preparation. That rider (who I didn't recognise) was pulling with about 30 kms to go and looked simply desperate: open mouth, grimacing face, up on his pedals... Unfortunately, in spite of his efforts, the breakaway guys weren't losing any second of advantage. Actually, their gap on the peloton was increasing. Ops...
Talking about the breakaway, it was formed by very good riders and that's why it lasted a lot. Said riders were Vorganov, De Gendt, Gallopin, Frank, Sivtsov, Garate, Ten Dam, Van Avermaet, Kadri, Cataldo, Pineau, Caruso and Gasparotto. After the Redoute, some of these guys were still at the front of the race, whereas Van Avermaet got dropped by the 3 strongest riders with just 6 kms to go, on the Cote de Saint Nicolas (which is located in the 'Little Italy' of Liége and is also called 'the cote of the Italians').
With about 20 kms to go, on the Roche aux Fauçons, the race seriously started getting exciting. In fact on that climb there was an attack by Andy Schleck, who could be followed just by his brother Frank and by Gilbert.
In the meanwhile, poor Vinokourov had a mechanical problem and also had a misunderstanding with Iglinskiy ('Give me your front wheel, Maxim!! Now! Be fast!' 'Ok Vino, give me a second and I'll give you my wheel' 'Oh no, it's taking you too much to take that damn wheel off your bike, give me your bike!' 'What? My bike? But the wheel has almost come off! And you had said you wanted just my front wheel!' 'Ok, I'v changed my mind, now just give me the BIKE!!!'). By the time Iglinskiy and Vino ended the mute, imaginary discussion that you've just read here, poor Alexandre had already lost all his victory chances. What a bad way to end his love-story with LBL... :(
While Vino was facing this little drama, los Schlecks were riding up the Roche aux Fauçons with Gilbert and Van Avermaet, whereas Gasparotto had already got dropped.
As you may know, Roche aux Fauçons is a climb formed by two parts. I expected an attack by one of the brothers in the second part of the climb and instead I got nothing. 'Well, perhaps they'll attack on the flat terrain between this climb and the next one', I thought. I expected an attack there, and I got nothing. Before the Cote de Saint Nicolas, I thought: 'Well, it looks like Frank is going to attack here!' and instead I got nothing. On the Cote de Saint Nicolas, I thought: 'Well, one of the brothers should really do something now, apart from turning his head backwards'. This time, I eventually got something. In fact the brothers (Andy in particular) tried to increase the pace, but then they and the supporters were surprised by an attack. A strong attack. Too bad that the rider who did it was Gilbert, and not one of my beloved brothers.
Frankie had to struggle to follow Phil, while Andy had some problems and Van Avermaet was dropped for good. Luckily Andy soon reached Frank and Phil again and he started pulling hard. In fact, behind the first three riders there was now a group of chasers formed by strong guys like Kreuziger, Sorensen (YAY!), Anton and Uran.
With 4 kms to go, I still thought that a victory was possible for the Schleck brothers. I thought Andy could have attacked, leaving Gilbert with the hard task of chasing him at the end of a 250 kms long race. 'If Phil reached Andy, then Frank could attack and try to win the race!', I thought optimistically. But apparently the brothers were too tired / too impressed by Gilbert's strength to try doing something. In the last km I still hoped that one of them would have done something, but eventually Frank tried to attack Gilbert just in the final 200 meters. And so Phil Gil could cross the finish-line in a calm way, after an easy sprint, with two Schlecks as side dishes.
4th was Roman Kreuziger (this made me ask what results Scarponi could have got if he had raced this afternoon), while 5th was Uran and 6th was a great Sorensen (YAY!). 7th was an exceptional Van Avermaet, while 8th was Nibali, 9th Leukemans and 10th Samu Sanchez.

The podium was the best looking one of the year so far, no doubts about that. Ok, Phil Gil isn't the most good-looking guy of the peloton (although he isn't bad-looking either), but Alan, Frank and Andy contributed to making the podium look great. I was hoping to get a glimpse of little Leea on the podium, but Frank and Martine decided to avoid that. Good choice, if I can say it.
Both Frank and Andy were really nice towards Gilbert. Frank bowed in front of him, while Andy shook hands with the Belgian right after the finish-line. This fact (and the brothers' declarations after the race) made me think about one thing. After last year Chaingate, in fact, some people complained about the fact that Andy hadn't got angry at Contador in the last Tour stages. At the time, some people said: 'It's Riis who made Andy behave in this way, he had no choice'. Well, I actually think that this afternoon we could finally understand that that behaviour wasn't imposed by Riis. Simply, Andy is a nice, classy guy who plays it fair. And the same goes for Frankie.

Talking about the teams, from my race report you might have understood that I wasn't completely satisfied with the eventual outcome of the race. In fact, I had the feeling that the brothers, especially after the Cote du Saint Nicolas, were racing for the second and for the third place, rather than for the victory. According to Andy, he did try to increase the pace on the penultimate climb, but I thought that then Frankie could have tried something too. Or perhaps, the brothers could have tried attacking already in the second part of the Roche aux Fauçons, so that they would have forced Gilbert to get a bit tired while chasing at least one of them.
However, I understand that talking from a couch is always simple and that there's a reason why I'm not a ds. Liége is a 250 kms long race and Gilbert's attack on Cote du Saint Nicolas was terrific, but I still have a bittersweet taste in my mouth. In some ways, I think the brothers could have raced better. At least, they could have been a bit more brave.
Talking about the rest of Leopard Trek, Jakob Fuglsang was simply amazing. Also Stefan Denifl worked very well, just like Monfort, Wegmann and Voigt.
Omega - Pharma Lotto, on the other hand, didn't look that great today, especially because for the first time Phil Gil found himself alone with 20 kms to go. However I'd like you to notice that a great Jelle Vanendert was 17th also today. The boy has talent, believe me.
A team who raced very well, although it didn't have good luck, was Astana. Gasparotto was simply amazing and I really liked his post - race comments ('I wanted to ride on the top of the Redoute first at least once in my life'). He joined the breakaway, was first on the Redoute and he even helped his teammates in the final kms. Simply great.
Kreuziger was really good too, while Vinokourov and Iglinskiy were both victims of the bad luck. I'm sorry for Vino, especially because this was his last Liége and he managed to come in 33rd anyway.
Another team who raced well this afternoon was BMC. I had scolded this team off in my last post, saying that they had been invisible in Fleche. Today instead they rode much better, since Frank joined a breakaway and Van Avermaet was a super 7th.

As far as the other teams are concerned, Rabobank sometimes pulled at the head of the race, but eventually the best rider was Martens, 13th (hey, Paul has been riding very fast lately!). Freire instead was 15th (Oscarito, are you sure you want to retire this year?!?).
Also Katiusha and Euskaltel pulled at the front of the race for some kms. The team from the Paìs Vasco got a good 10th with S. Sanchez and a good 14th with Igor Anton, whereas Katiusha had Kolobnev as its best rider (11th). A good result, although Joaquim Rodriguez was a bit disappointing.

Other riders instead managed to do well although they didn't have a good team. Sky was very good, since Uran got 5th and Gerrans 12th. Still, the team riders never pulled in the last kms.
Saxo Bank instead had the two Sorensens as its best riders. Nicki tried to break away, while Chris was a super 6th. This boy will entertain us in July, that's for sure.
Liquigas best rider was Nibali, 8th, who is in a very good shape ahead of Giro. Basso instead was disappointing, but he's not going to take part in the Corsa Rosa.
Leukemans (9th) was excellent once again, while Van Garderen (18th) was a good surprise.

So, this was 2011 Liége and this was 2011 Campaign of the Classics. Now the hills and the cobblestones of Belgium, France and Holland are ready to leave the stage to the Italian roads, that will soon be the theatre of the Giro d'Italia.
But still, we have to wait some weeks before of that ;) In the meanwhile, let's enjoy the last days of Easter holidays and let's talk LBL all together ;)
(Pic by Bettini)

Liége-Bastogne Liége:

Little note: 1 YEAR AGO,ANDY SCHLECK HAD JUST WON LIEGE-BASTOGNE-LIEGE.

Once in a while,let's start a race report from the end,aka from the podium.Well,2010 Liége-Bastogne-Liége's podium featured,on the 3rd spot,Alejandro Valverde,who has been banned from Italy for 2 years after that Italian policemen discovered that Fuentes had a blood bag of the Spanish champion in his laboratory.

On the second spot of said podium then you have the Russian Alexandr Kolobnev,ex Saxo Banker who was 2nd in both 2007 and 2009 Worlds.

And then,dulcis in fundo,the highest spot of the Doyenne's podium,the one that gives glory to the cyclist who has the honour to stand on it and write his name in the history book of Cycledom. 'Who was on the highest spot of yesterday's podium?',I hear someone ask.Well,let's start from the riders who weren't there.Apart from Valverde and Kolobnev (who were already on the podium),yesterday the Liége wasn't won by any of these riders:

-Andy and Frank Schleck (*Fangirl sighs*).

-Igor Anton and Alberto Contador.

-Philippe Glibert and Cadel Evans.

-Ryder Hesjedal and Serguei Ivanov.

-Roman Kreuziger and Vincenzo Nibali.

-Thomas Lovkvist and Bradley Wiggins.

-Denis Menchov and Robert Gesink.

-Damiano Cunego and Bert De Waele.

-Stefano Garzelli and Jens Voigt.

-Chris Anker Sorensen and Nicki Sorensen.

Who won the race,then? Well,simple: Alexander Vinokourov.And the particular (although predictable) thing about yesterday's podium was that the tifosi booed at Vinokourov when he came out to take his trophy and his glory (although I think that some of them were booeing also at Valverde).So,Liége was won by a former (are we sure?) doper.Anyway,before starting to talk about that,let's tell how things unfolded during the race.

At the beginning of the race obviously there was a breakaway.Then Jens Voigt escaped from the peloton,but then he stopped and didn't insist with his attack.

After the breakawayers were caught,none of the big riders attacked on La Redoute.On the Cote de la Roche aux Fauçons,a climb that Schleck fans from all over the World have learned to love over the last 12 months,Andy attacked,followed by local hero Phil Gilbert.At that moment Frank Schleck was out of sight because he had just had a mechanical problem and he had to stop and change bike with Nicki Sorensen.That bike change ruined his chances of winning La Doyenne and this was obviously a shame because he was in a really good form.Btw,Andy and Gilbert were soon joined by Contador,who arrived looking as relaxed as usual.I wonder how he does it.

On the top of the climb at the head of the race there was a group including all the favourite riders.Then,with 17 kms to go,Vinokourov and Kolobnev attacked.Gilbert and Evans waited some seconds before starting to follow them and this delay didn't allow them to get on Liége's podium.They were soon joined by Valverde,while at the head of the race Kolobnev and Vino were riding full gas.

At that point of the race,me was really disappointed.Andy and Frank had just missed the decisive move and so one of their biggest goals of the season was fading away while they were trapped in the 3rd group of riders,that apparently had no hope to catch the other guys again.As well as that,Valverde and Vino were at the front.Bleah.

By the way,Logic suggested Fangirl to behave as if the Schleck brothers weren't racing.After some protests,Fangirl decided to follow Logic's advice and she suddenly found herself relieved.In the back of her mind she was still hoping for a podium's placement by Andy or Frank,but she didn't just focus on that and so she could enjoy the last part of the race,which was full of feelings. What feelings?,I hear you ask.Well,first of all I was hoping for a Kolobnev's victory.Alexander is young (he was born in May 1981) but he's already finished second in the Worlds two times and he ended 3rd (or 4th,it depends on the point of view) in Beijing Olympic RR. In spite of all these placements,his last victory was 2007 Montepaschi Eroica.Time to get another victory,right? In addition during the Ardenne's week Alexandr showed a great form,but unfortunately he didn't have any luck.So,when after the Cote du Saint Nicolas it was clear that the victory was a problem between Vino and Kolobnev,I started to support Kolobnev.Well,'support' perhaps is a big word.Simply,I decided I would have been happy with a victory by this Russian rider.

Then,as far as the other feelings are concerned,I was sorry for Gilbert.'Gosh',I thought,'he loves this race and he has never won it.Actually,he has never even got on the podium of Liége.And I bet he'd give away at least 1 of his most important victories just to win La Doyenne'.

In addition,obviously,I was very sorry for the Schleck brothers.When Andy attacked with about 8 kms to go,I believed he would have caught the Valverde's group very soon,but unfortunately he didn't and that caused Fangirl a brief moment of desperation.

With about 400 meters to go,Vinokourov launched his final attack.He's not as fast as Kolobnev, so it was his only way to win.And,by attacking in the last meters,Vinokourov won.

My sudden desire was to fall into tears.Really,I couldn't stand watching Vinokourov winning in front of Kolobnev and,perhaps,Gilbert,who in my opinion are very clean and honest riders. Then,when the Evans' group arrived,followed by other riders who were all behind Frank Schleck (yay!),Valverde got his 3rd place,making me become really angry.Actually,I was more angry for Valverde's 3rd place than for Vino's one.At least,Vino has paid his mistake with a 2 years ban, whereas Valverde instead paid it with a simple 2 years ban from Italy,in spite of which he can still wander (and win) freely through Cycledom.

As said,the tifosi booed at Vino while he was on the podium.Now,me has reflected a bit about this.I understand all this anger against Vino (what he did back in 2007 was terrible) and I can understand that he's not the nicest guy in Cycledom.But he has been banned for 2 years and now he has returned.And,until there are no proves against this,it seems that now he's racing clean (yes,he could have found a new doping product,but who tells us that he's the only one to use it?).I know it's hard to believe him when he says 'Now I'm honest',but me thinks he should be given a second chance.Therefore,supporters,leave him in peace for a while. Otherwise there's no point in saying "life bans aren't fair because everyone should be given a second chance".In fact, if the tifosi aren't ready to accept a former doper who is not Basso that comes back in the peloton and wins a Liége,then there's no point in banning people for just 2 years. They should be given at least 4 years of ban and,perhaps,also a life ban could be a fair thing.And don't tell me that Vino gets this treatment because he's unpleasant. Because I think that everyone should deserve a second chance,be they as charming and handsome as Basso or as unpleasant and arrogant as Vinokourov.At least,as already said,he's been one of the guys who has stayed away from Cycledom for 2 years.Other guys,like Riccò and Sella,haven't.So,if you notice that I'm more unpleasant with them than with Vino,I'm not being incoherent.Simply,Vino stayed away from Cycledom for 2 years,Sella and Riccò just for one year/one year and a half. Italian philosopher Cesare Beccaria once wrote that criminals (dopers included) don't care about how severe the punishments are,but they just care about whether they will surely be punished or not.And mr.Beccaria came up with this idea not yesterday,while hearing the news of Riccò's comeback, but in the 18th century.

Anyway,I realise I'm digressing (I'll talk about Sella and Riccò another time,otherwise tomorrow at 1 am I could still be here writing). What I wanted to say is that,as far as we know,Vino is now a clean rider.Therefore,dear supporters,don't get too angry at him.Or,if you do,be coherent and be angry not just at him,but also at Valverde,Sella,Riccò (although Sella and Riccò's situations is completely different 'cause they haven't really paid for their mistakes),Basso (yes, the charming Ivan was a doper),etc. Or,at least,if you're not ready to accept a rider like Vino coming back to the peloton after just 2 years of life, join me on the wild side and start to think that a 4 years ban (without discounts),if not a life ban,would be the appropriate punishment for dopers. But,if you say this,don't forget that also your favourite riders could be found positive at the anti-doping (I realise that I'm always pretty skeptical when I talk about doping,and that's why I decide to avoid this topic as much as I can).
Obviously everyone who has understood my oh so unorganised way of explaining what I think is free to disagree with what I've just written and tell me that I don't understand a f*** as far as cycling is concerned.Oh,and you are also free to ask me whether I did get brainwashed;In that case,my answer would be that 14 school tests in 18 school days would have a brainwashing power on everyone.Oh and,by the way,if you decide to tell me your opinion in an unpolite way,don't worry: you won't get a life ban from this blog-I think a simpler 4 years ban would be much better.After all,everyone deserves a second chance.... ;)

On to a nicer topic,the race of the Schleck brothers.Unfortunately I can't say a lot about it because I've spent a lot of time trying to write my opinions about Vino in a not too dreadful English,so now I can just give a few links before closing this post (I have a Maths test tomorrow and I desperately need to study right now).So, here' an article from Cyclingnews about the brothers and 2010 Liége (http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/schlecks-left-frustrated-at-liege-bastogne-liege ).

I understand that they are disappointed with their results (it's the first time since 2006 that they none of them ends up on a podium in the Ardenne's week),but I believe that now they just need to rest,spend a lot of time with the little Leea (they'll have lots of other chances to dedicate her a great victory!) and start to focus on the Tour.
More about the brothers: http://www.wort.lu/wort/web/sport/artikel/86885/fraenk-schleck-ein-kata-strophaler-tag.php (Frank defined yesterday as a "catastrophic day").

So,dear Readers,that's all for now.Waiting for the Giro's beginning on May the 8th,I wish a good evening to everyone.

(Pic by Bettini)

Liege-Bastogne-Liege Preview (post including the start list,some personal opinions of mine and random links):

Since my hell week is nearly over,me now has more time to write bullshits,ehm,cycling observations on this blog.Therefore,here's a long useless post about Liége-Bastogne-Liége,also known as La Doyenne.I'm sure you all remember what happened last year during this race: Andy Schleck attacked on the Cote aux Facons and he soloed to victory. This year things seem tougher for Andy and for his brother Frank,because there are lots of riders that are going really well right now.For example,Gilbert and Evans.But I could add also Ivanov, Kolobnev, Contador, Kreuziger,Valverde,Hesjedal and many others.In order to take a careful look to all the teams who are taking part in tomorrow's race,here's the provisional start list (taken from Cyclingnews and accompanied by the usual useless comments of mine).
ACQUA & SAPONE: Codol, Failli, Garzelli, Honig, Masciarelli, Paolini, Sarmiento.Garzelli was 2nd in Liége in 2002,Masciarelli is a strong climber and also Paolini could be dangerous.
AG2R LA MONDIALE: Bouet, Champion, Dupont, Gadret, Kadri, Lelay, Riblon, Roche.
ANDRONI GIOCATTOLI: Bertagnolli, Bertogliati, Bertolini, Ginanni, Margutti, Piemontesi, Solari, Wurf.Me predicts that someone will enter a breakaway,perhaps with other riders from a team like,say,Acqua & Sapone.
ASTANA: Contador, Fofonov, Gasparotto, Grivko, M.Iglinskiy, Jufre, Pereiro Sio, Vinokourov. What a team,Logic states. Vinokourov won a Liége back in 2005 (on that occasion second was Voigt and 3rd was Boogerd), Contador was 3rd in Fleche (and looked a bit disappointed for this result), Pereiro won TdF 2006, Gasparotto was 3rd in Amstel last week and Iglinskiy won Eroica. Vino is in good form,just like Gasparotto and Iglinskiy (the magic couple Enrico-Maxim is in a great form since March,to say it all). Contador is always in form when climbs are concerned, so I believe that in the last kms he'll surely be there with the group of the best riders.Anyway this team has so many good riders that it's hard to say who the most dangerous is.Contador keeps on saying that Liége will be just an "experience race" for him (but he said the same things also before of Giro 2008),while many people thought that Vinokourov would have abandoned Trentino during the last stage (in spite of being the GC leader) because he wanted to be at the top for Liége. Therefore,me thinks that Vino will be ready to give battle,even if Contador will be there as well in the end.And look out for the couple Gasparotto-Iglinskiy!
BBOX BOUYGUES TELECOM: Bichot, Charteau, Fedrigo, Gautier, Lefevre, Rolland, Trofimov, Voeckler. Pierrick is racing and me is happy.
BMC: Bookwalter, Evans, Frank, Louder, Morabito, Santambrogio, Zahner. The provisional start list also includes Santambrogio,but me doesn't know whether he'll really race because,from the theoric point of view,the team has suspended him before Flanders for that anti-doping investigation in Mantova.And if BMC had suspended Mauro's suspension (yes,I like stupid words play),Italian newspapers would all be cheering about that right now,wouldn't they? Anyway,this team features the promising Mathias Frank and,more important, the World Champion Evans. Poor Karsten Kroon broke his nose and other 2 bones in his face after a crash in Fleche (I wish him a fast and good recover),so the team captain will be this funny Australian man with a squeeky voice and a rainbow jersey.

CAISSE D'EPARGNE: Erviti, Garcia Acosta, Kiryenka, Lopez Garcia, Moreau, Pasamontes, LL Sanchez, Valverde. Here's another strong team.Kiryenka is oh so going to attack,while LL and Aliejandro,sorry,Alejandro (yes,it was another stupid word play with the fact that "Liége" in Spanish is "Lieja") will probably be there in the end.However I believe that Valverde (2006 and 2008 winner) will be the team captain,while the young LL will be a protected rider.
CERVELO: Deignan, Florencio, Gustov, King, Konovalovas, Sastre, Tondo, Wyss. Oh,Konovalovas is racing just like Wyss! Yes, Fangirl is happy. Anyway I believe the team's captain will be Tondo. "What about Sastre?",I hear you ask.Well, I believe that Sastre will just use Liége as a good test for understanding how his form is,and so he will probably leave the captain role to Tondo,the hero who last week drove for about 1600 kms in order to reach Maastricht before the start of Amstel (me is obviouly aware of the fact that,after writing these things, Sastre will show he is the team's captain since the very first km of race).
COFIDIS: Duque, El Fares, Kern, Kriit, Moinard, Moncoutie, Pauriol, Taramaae.Attention to Taramaae-he's not afraid of attacking and has the chance of getting a good result.
EUSKALTEL: Anton, Galdos, Isasi, Egoi Martinez, Oroz, Perez Lezaun, Sesma Sorbet, Velasco Murillo. Anton showed a great form in Fleche and he may double the show tomorrow in the last kms.
FRANCAISE DES JEUX: Cherel, Di Gregorio, Le Mevel, Meersman, Roux, Roy, Sulzberger, Vaugrenard.
GARMIN TRANSITIONS: Hesjedal, Kessiakoff, Lowe, D.Martin, Christian and Cameron Meyer, Peterson, Stetina. Hesjedal is a very good rider (2nd in Amstel last week),but also Kessiakoff is a good climber.
LAMPRE FARNESE VINI: Bono, Cunego, Gavazzi, Loosli, Mori, Pietropolli, Righi, Spezialetti. Cunego will probably feel the pressure of the fact that the Italians haven't won a Classic/Grand Tour since October 2008 ,just like the Gazzetta journalists love reminding to the readers every single day.He was 3rd in 2006 and I believe that,if he's in form, he can really do something good (although this week he didn't look very brilliant to me).As far as the others are concerned, Loosli is in super form.
LANDBOUWKREDIET: Bellemakers, Commeyne, De Waele, Delfosse, Dockx, Ricci Poggi, Scheirlincx, Verheyen. Well,a team whose name is "Landbouwkrediet" must have someone with surnames like Scheirlincx or Bellemakers in it,doesn't it? Although 'Delfosse' sounds like an Italian surname (it would mean 'of the ditches'),Sebastien is Belgian,just like Riccì Poggì,ehm,, Ricci Poggi is French.And then in this team there is also a rider called Bart (Dockx) and another one called Bert (De Waele).Anyway,talking about tomorrow's race,and not about the riders' surnames, me hopes that De Waele will get a good placement.
LIQUIGAS: Agnoli, Bellotti, Finetto, Kreuziger, Nibali, Pellizotti, Santaromita, Willems. Another very strong team, with the trio Pellizotti-Nibali-Kreuziger ready to give battle. Pellizotti however is getting ready for the Giro so I think he won't have a leading role.Kreuziger showed his form in Fleche,just like Nibali.They're both young,cunny,talented and brave,so I think that they'll be a danger for everyone tomorrow.
OMEGA PHARMA LOTTO: Aerts, Brandt, Gilbert, Kaisen, Moreno Fernandez, Peraud, Van Den Broeck, Van Goolen. Gilbert,the boy who lives near La Redoute,desperately wants to win this race after winning Amstel and so he'll give it all to try achieving this dream of his.He's a good climber,he's fast and he's got a great punch,so he'll be dangerous for everyone if he arrives in Saint-Nicolas with the best riders' group.The team will support him completely.
QUICKSTEP: Barredo, Cataldo, Chavanel, Devenyns, Devolder, Pineau, Seeldrayers and Van De Walle. Chavanel, Barredo and Van De Walle were seen at the head of the peloton during this week ,but I believe that the most dangerous in this team (together with them) is Seeldrayers. Devolder once wanted to win the Tour and has won 2 Tours of Flanders,but I don't know whether he'll be able to keep the pace on La Redoute.
RABOBANK: Freire, Garate, Gesink, Martens, Menchov, Moerenhout, Tankink,Ten Dam. Fangirl is happy because Menchov is racing (the Giro is approaching and I keep on annoying my sister about last year's result of that race),although the Russian who suffers from spring allergies (how I understand him!) has said that Liége will be just a test for him.Therefore,look out for Gesink.If he doesn't crash/puncture and if aliens don't kidnap him during the race,he could be dangerous.And I'm curious to see which role Freire will have.
SKY: Calzati, Carlstrom, Cummings, Froome, Gerrans, Lovkvist, Nordhaug, Wiggins.Oh,finally I have the honour of seeing Lovely Lovkvist's name in a start list.Wow. Wiggo is preparing the Giro,so he should be already in good form. Anyway I believe that the team's captain will be Lovkvist.
TEAM HTC COLUMBIA: Albasini,Guldhammer, Lewis, T.Martin, Monfort, Siutsou (how can he be in the start list if he broke his collarbone last month?),Van Garderen,P.Velits. Policeman Toni Martin (scoop from Miss Sansen's blog http://sansenmag.l%20ivejournal.com/182793.html ) will be the captain,whereas TJ Van Garderen showed a good condition in Tour of Turkey.
KATIUSHA: Ivanov, Klimov, Kolobnev, Mazzanti, Rodriguez, Vandenbergh, Vantomme, Vorganov. Kolobnev,Ivanov and Rodriguez showed an incredible form over the last days and they'll be at the front also tomorrow.Look out for them!
MILRAM: Frohlinger, Gajek, Gerdemann, Knees, Rohregger, Voss, Wegmann. Linus is going to be team captain's in Giro,so he should be already in good form.
RADIOSHACK: Busche, Hermans, Horner, Kloeden, Paulinho, Zubeldia. The Chinese rider Li resulted positive at the anti-doping after a race in March and was suspended by his team (news: http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/radioshack-suspends-li-after-doping-positive ).This has obviously caused some exaggerated title on some websites (for example, "Armstrong ramt af dopinskandale" by http://www.sporten.dk/cykling ),but since my blogging idea about doping is "let's talk about it as least as possible",I will go on with the start list and won't spend useless words about this. Horner is in good form,so he'll probably be the captain together mit Andreas Kloden.
SAXO BANK: Didier,Fuglsang,Jorgensen,Andy and Frank Schleck,N.Sorensen,Voigt, Steensen. Yes,I know that Cyclingnews says that also Chris Anker will race tomorrow but believe me, he's not racing.In fact he received the "you can go back training on the asphalt" message from the doctors just yesterday,so I don't believe he'll immediatly come back racing in tomorrow's Liége. Anyway, the team is strong.Didier has showed his talent also during Fleche,Jorgensen and Steensen are precious helpers and I guess there's no need to talk about Nicki Sorensen,Voigt and Fuglsang to make you understand how good they are.The captains will be the Schleck brothers and hopefully Frank will be the one who'll raise his arms to the sky in Liége.
TOPSPORT VLAANDEREN-MERCATOR: Armee, Baugnies, Coenen, De Gendt, Jacobs, Neyens, Van Hecke, Vanspeybrouck.

So,this is the start list.Now it's time to try and give my race predictions,starting from last year's winner Andy Schleck.Last year Andy seemed stronger to me (yes,I know you disagree),although this year his motivation is probably as high as never because,apart from being the 2009 winner of La Doyenne,he's also just become uncle.Lots of people then expect a lot from him this year, but this shouldn't be a problem since it seems that Andy can stand pressure in a perfect way. However it is also true that this time the other riders will try not to let him get away from the group all alone.And if Andy arrives in Liége together with a guy like Valverde or Gilbert,well,he's likely to be outsprinted by them (at least in theory).Anyway this year the parcours seems even harder than last year's one and so Andy and his teammates will have more opportunities to make their adversaris become tired before they arrive in Liége.
As far as Frank Schleck,is concerned,I think he's even more motivated than Andy and on him there is less pressure than on his brother.His form is very good and I think that Andy tomorrow will race for daddy Frankie rather than for himself.Anyway the sprint problem worths also for Frank.In fact I believe that he can outsprint guys like Evans or,say,Kreuziger,but I don't think he has many chances against Gilbert or Valverde.
And here we come to Gilbert.He's very motivated,knows the race by heart,he's in a perfect form and has already won Amstel last week.He's fast and can keep a high pace on climbs,so he's one of my race favourites,although we must remember that a wrong day can happen to everyone (Philippe included).

Valverde, just like Gilbert, is fast and is a good climber,although his form doesn't seem as good as Gilbert's one. Attention also to his teammate LL Sanchez.
Evans is in a great form,but he has to arrive alone because he's not very fast.The same worths also for Kreuziger,Gesink and Nibali, while Cunego and Garzelli are riders who can get good results if they're on the right day.And then there are the Astana riders,aka Contador and Vinokourov. Vino always tries getting good results and has already won Liége,while Contador is there just to get more experience.Should we trust him?
Joaquim Rodriguez was second last year,but also Ivanov and Kolobnev will be very important for his team.
Then there are obviously the "outsiders" (if we can call them this way) like Igor Anton, Toni Martin, Hesjedal, Horner, Gasparotto, Iglinskiy, Lovkvist and De Waele (first names that came into my mind).Hoping that one of the Schleck will win,I close this post with a pic from last year's Liége and some random links about the brothers.

RANDOM LINKS:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/frank-schleck-sees-a-future-at-flanders : I totally agree with Frankie,especially when he talks about the management going to murder him if he decides to change his season schedule.
http://lequotidien.editpress.lu/index.php/les-sports/10852-Nous-avons-les-jambes.html :interview with Frank.
http://lequotidien.editpress.lu/index.php/les-sports/10851-Les-Schleck-centre-dbat.html :article about the Schleck brothers.
http://msn.tv2sporten.no/sykkel/schleck-gjoer-et-nytt-forsoek-paa-soendag-3191305.html : video interview featuring super cute Andy Schleck with unshaved upper lip.
http://www.saxobanktakingthelead.com/?p=2928 :ok, it's an interview with Jonas Jorgensen, not with the Schleck brothers,but you know I have a weakness for Danish cyclists who race for Saxo Bank team,so don't get angry at this poor mad Fangirl.

Wishing you all a good evening and a happy sight of 2010 Liége,I close this post.Allez Schlecks!

(pic by Bettini)

"Le Quotidien" article about the Schleck brothers (part 1):

The first post of this year was an interview,therefore I think it's a must to conclude this year with another interview (and with a usual "My hopes for next year!" post).Actually,I've found 2 interviews regarding the Schleck brothers today:the first one is about Andy's triumph in Liége and you can read about it in this post,the second one instead is about Frank's victory in Le Grand Bornard stage of the Tour (see next post to read it).Enjoy!

Link: http://lequotidien.editpress.lu/les-sports/7162.html
The victory of Andy Schleck in Liege-Bastogne-Liege,his first major success in a classic,wasn't a matter of luck.Simply,that day he was the strongest.He triumphed.A first great success to which many other great victories will follow.Inevitably...
Apart from the tears caused by a crazy emotion,it ended as it had begun seven hours earlier. With a laugh.A blink of an eye.A hug.As if their destinies of brothers and cyclists couldn't be divided in any way.
Yes,immediately after leaving the Team Saxo Bank bus stationed in Place Saint-Lambert, Liège, on the 26th of April 2009,Andy and Frank Schleck started to laugh in a great way.After sitting on their bikes in fact they realised that,actually,they were sitted on the wrong vehicles.Andy in fact was speeding to the signing of the start sheet on Frank's bike-and vice versa.

The similarity and the fact of living together are two key elements that the Schleck brothers perfectly handle when they're on and off their bikes.And their ability in handling these 2 elements was often shown on the stage of the Liege-Bastogne-Liège.

In 2007,when Andy rides the Doyenne for the first time,he decides to attack on La Redoute in order to help Frank.All the other riders think that the one who's attacking is Frank and they immediately stop Andy's action.This story has been told many times and always causes the brothers to laugh.
The following year,the scenario was even more striking.For the first time in the Liége's history, the riders had to face the Roche-aux-Faucons,the climb where Andy has built his success this year.But a year earlier,on that climb,Andy attacked together with Frank and this move changed the story of the race.Caught by Valverde's group,Andy tried to escape again,with ten kilometers to go,before of finishing fourth,one placement behind Frank.
After having raced it for 2 times,Andy's was convincted of the fact that Liege-Bastogne-Liege is HIS race.And this opinion,in 2009,was proved to be correct with a great victory.Not even the terrible fall of Frank in the Amstel Gold Race,a week earlier,could change things.

Andy began the Amstel Gold Race with the idea of helping his elder brother,who was in a great condition,but then,after Frank's fall,the youngest of the Schleck brothers decided to help his Dutch teammate Karsten Kroon.When he took that decision,Andy hadn't seen the violent images of his brother's fall yet.Only much later,returning to the hotel,he understood that the Schleck family had risked to live a tragedy that day.
The following days,with Frank at home in Mondorf-les-Bains,since wisdom obviously suggested him not racing in the Fleche Wallonne,Andy was trying to defeat his dark thoughts.And he went fishing,like he and Frank had already planned to do,in the waters of the Meuse,near their hotel in Lanaken,on the border between Belgium and the Netherlands.

The recipe was good,because on Wednesday evening Andy finished second in the Fleche Wallonne won by Davide Rebellin.His mind was made up: if I can arrive 2nd on the Wall of Huy after only 200 kilometers of racing,I will find some way to win the Doyenne between 4 days and after 260 kilometers that are much more selective than the Fleche's ones.

"I feel I can do it,but if I want to win I must attack with at least twenty kilometers to go.I assure you,without being arrogant,that I didn't ride a la bloc when we were facing the Keutenberg climb,last Sunday in the Amstel.But in the Liége,I'll ride at full gas.And then,Cunego and Valverde will have problems",he told me (NDR;the journalist who wrote the article is Denis Bastien) the day before of the Fleche.The following evening,of course,he was even more convincted of his ideas.

Then the Liége arrived,and Andy's great action is still remembered.With twenty kilometers to go,Philippe Gilbert,who had attacked boldly on La Redoute climb,was alone at the head of the race. Suddenly,Andy Schleck looked to the riders at the head of the group and then attacked in a very impressive way.
The Mondorfois,taking advantadge from his ally with Frank,morally and physically recovered,rides at full gas.With his style,a combination of power and sourplesse,he goes,with his hands on the bike's brakes.He was off to his first classic victory.The greatest classic for grimpeurs."The greatest classic of all",as Andy Schleck often says.
As he attacks,nothing and nobody can get in his way,so here comes the first triumph of this gifted young champion.The result and the end of history is an emotion.
Andy's obviously happy of his triumph,a triumph that was predicted already a long time ago.And then,after the race,there is his family.There's Frank who,to be sure that he's not daydreaming,watches Andy's triumph on the great screen overlooking the finish line and watches the images of his brother waving an arm to the grey sky of Liége.There's Johnny,the father,who had awaited for this moment for a long time, while taking care not to add anything to this perfect but stressful moment.And finally there is Gaby,the mother,who the boy gently scolds for bursting into tears after witnessing his huge success.

"In a state of grace ..."
Andy Schleck (winner): "I do not know whether it was an amazing victory,I haven't had the time to review the race yet,but if you ask me,of course I think it was a great success! I don't want to shout it from the rooftops,but I think I've just ridden my perfect race of the year.Now it will be hard to do better than that".

"Frank was even happier than he usually is when he wins a race.I did not cry.When Frank won the Amstel in 2006,I bursted into tears,but Frank did not cry that day.Our emotions go from me to him and vice versa.Today I fighted also for him.After his fall,last Sunday in the Amstel Gold Race,I feared the worst.After watching it on tv,I was shocked for two days.But tonight I am a happy man.I won the race of my dreams and Frank was there with me".
Frank Schleck (23th) "I don't know what to say,it's crazy.Fabulous! I knew that Andy was strong and that the team was working well,but at one point I thought that Andy had gone too far.Anyway the guys behind didn't attack and also Rebellin couldn't escape from the chasing group.Andy has won the most beautiful classic.I won the Amstel in 2006,now it's my turn to win the Doyenne.There is an image that I think that lots of people will remember.After Andy's attack,a TV camera showed me.I was smiling and showed my thumb up.We made a great show. We were in a state of grace,almost carried by our euphoria. "
Bjarne Riis (manager of Team Saxo Bank): "The race was wonderful and everything went as planned.Andy's attack was really impressive.It takes courage to attack like that. "
Johnny Schleck (the proud dad):"It's beautiful,beautiful.It still surprises me,although I've been seeing them making progresses for lots of years.Living these moments for me is unimaginable but true. "

Philippe Gilbert (4th): "We unfortunately ran into a super Andy Schleck today.There was nothing to do against him.Since the beginning of the race,we felt that the Saxo Bank was going to decide the race,so I wanted to anticipate a possible attack from the Schlecks.But when Andy caught me,I could not follow him.He dropped me without any problem".

Andy's success in numbers
1: Liege-Bastogne-Liege.Andy Schleck won it on the 27th of April 2009.In 2007 he finished second in the Giro.Then in July 2009 he also came in 2nd in the Tour de France.

2: Andy Schleck was the second Luxembourgish after Marcel Ernzer (winner in 1954) to win Liége.
3: Before of Andy's triumph,the Schleck family already had the honor of getting on the Liége podium twice,since Frank was third in the race both in 2007 and 2008.
4 : In the Top 30 of the 2009 Liege-Bastogne-Liege there were four Saxo Bank riders: Kolobnev (9th),Frank Schleck (23) and Nicki Sorense (26th).
10 years: Since Frank Vandenbroucke's success in 1999,no one had managed to achieve a solo victory in Liege-Bastogne-Liege.At the time "VDB" planned his attack,just like Andy did this April.
19 : The kms that Andy Schleck had to face alone before of reaching the finish-line in Ans.
23: Andy Schleck was 23 last April,therefore he's one of the youngest winners of the Doyenne.
77 : The seconds that eventually separated Andy from the second rider to cross the finish line,Joaquim Rodriguez.
84: The number of the SMS of congratulations that Andy Schleck received the evening of the Liége.

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)

LIEGE-BASTOGNE-LIEGE:ANDY SCHLECK!

There are lots of things I could say about today's race.One of my favourite riders,Andy Schleck,has won.He's just 23 year old (he'll turn 24 in June),he comes from Luxembourg and has raced in an amazing way.He dominated the race,in my not-so-neutral opinion.He got away with about 20 kms to go,and nobody could see him again before of the finish line.

He arrived 2nd also in Fleche Wallonne and,the day after that,he went fishing and said he was happy with his result because he wanted to win Liege.

On Repubblica website,even before of the finish of the race,there was written:Andy Schleck has won the race.Second should arrive Rodriguez.Remember,there's still a climb before of the finish line.Unbelievable.

His team was unbelievable as well today.Frank Schleck kept on disturbing the guys who were pulling together with the other riders.Chris-Anker Sorensen,Kroon and Kolobnev tried to attack.Fulglsang pulled very hard.

CONGRATULATIONS ANDY! (also Frank raced in a nice way)

Interview with Frank Schleck about L-B-L:

I know,I haven't written anything in the last days,but I've been terribly busy and awfully tired (going to bed at midnight and waking up at 6 o'clock for a week is not very relaxing). Anyway:today is the Liege day and I've found something about the Schleck brothers and this race.
Andy seems to be very confident after Fleche's second place (well done Andy!): "My goal is to win Liege,I don't care about anything else.And if I want to win,I have to attack because I can't allow myself to wait for the sprint".
Frank will race as well today.Here's what he said: "Now I'm okay,because you don't lose your condition in a week.So I'll run in order to win the race,just like my brother".

Here's an interview of Frank.Hope you like it.
Frank,what do you remember of your fall in AGR?
FS: Nothing.I remember my first fall.After that I got again on my saddle,my teammates waited for me,I went near to the team car because I had some problems with my bike and the mechanic solved them.Then I went again in front of the group.Andy asked me if everything was okay and I told him that I had just hurt my shoulder.Then,the dark.I woke up on the ambulance.They told me I've been unconscious for 10-15 minutes.Apart from the trauma and some little bruises,I didn't have any other big problems.Before of going back to the hotel,they told me to be careful for the first 3 days.For the first night,my girlfriend had to wake me up every two hours (Yes,he's got a girlfriend).I was really under control".
Then?
"On Monday I stayed in the hotel.I had a headache and I was frightened.Then I came back home,to Luxembourg.On Monday I didn't ride my bike.On Wednesday I rode it for an hour.On Thursday for 3 hours.Yesterday (on Friday) I rode with the team for other 3 hours.I'm ok.You don't lose your condition in one week.Tomorrow (today) I race".
To win?
"Always.Then,if I realise that I can't win,I begin to work for my team and for my teammates. I've always behaved in this way."
Will you help Andy as well?
"No,I'll never run for my little brother!! Ok,I'm joking,Andy's in great form:he's one of the favourites."
The "tandem" Schleck was born one year ago,during Liege.
"It was exciting.In the last kms we were there,together,in front of the other riders in a great race.We didn't have a lot of luck.This time it will go better,we hope.We'll be there.And if,at the end,there were just Andy and I,well,we'll have two chances: first,we sprint together.Second, Andy must give me a lot of money.
No Giro,you'll ride the Tour.Some predictions?
"In 2008 we had 3 leaders in the Tour:Sastre,Andy and I.This year,there will be just Andy and I,so the team will be more stronger and united".
Sastre won the Tour on Alpe d'Huez.Have you got some regrets?
"No.I wouldn't have won last year Tour anyway.That day Carlos made a great attack and he deserved to win."
This year?
"It won't be a battle between Saxo Bank and Astana.Astana is strong,we are strong as well.I'm not saying that we'll win the Tour,but that we'll try winning it.Not just against Astana,but against everybody".
Armstrong,Contador,Kloden,Leipheimer...In which order would you put them?
"This year's results say:1st Contador,2nd Leipheimer,3rd Kloden.But this has no importance at all".
And Armstrong?
"I believe in Armstrong.He won 7 Tour de France.Not 1,but 7.And if he's come back,it's just because he wants to win his eight Tour."
Do you feel pressure before of an important race like Liege or Tour?
"Yes,I feel it.And it gives me something more".

Other links:if someone knows Dutch,here's an article (or at least I think it should be an article) about the Schleck brothers:Enjoy it! Link: http://www.schleck.nl/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&layout=blog&id=3&Itemid=14

And then:here's alink to a video about Andy's race in Fleche Wallonne: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mgkuSmMIEU .I
PS:I haven't read any blog for some days,so I don't know if those articles are new or not.If they aren't,please don't get angry at me.