News!

I’ve got some news for you today.I'm quite tired,so I'll probably forget to talk about some important facts that have happened recently...If that should happen,please don't get too angry with me!

First of all,the Saxo Bank team for the San Luis Tour (19-25 January) will be formed by Arvesen, Haedo, Bochman, Ljungqvist,McCartney,Breschel.The ds will be Torsten Schmidt.On http://www.riis-cycling.com/ Kim Andersen talks about Saxo Bank’s chances to win the Tour Down Under.He thinks that there are good chances,and so do I. It would be wonderful for Saxo Bank Team to open the season with a victory,wouldn’t it?

The new Australian TT champion is Michael Rogers.Cameron Meyer (Garmin-Chipotle),West Australian of 20 year-old,arrived second for only 6”.Third came Porte,a Tasmanian (don't know if this word actually exists...) guy. If you want to know more about this event,take a look on http://www.cyclingnews.com/

In a interview with “La Gazzetta dello Sport”,Piepoli talked about his positivity to the anti-doping. In my opinion,he said some very good things,for example: “It is better if they would have given me four or six [years]. ... At 37 years old, with a wife and child, what I did is unjustifiable. ... I say, 'Don't dope because it will wear upon your conscience and dignity, forever.'" I hope he’s really understood what he’s done and that his words are true.What do you think?

This year,Vincenzo Nibali will probably run just the Tour.

Rasmussen and Vinokourov are going to return in cycling this summer.Hope they’ll never meet me,because otherwise they should run away from me very fast (especially Vino should)! Of course,I’m joking (or not?).Btw,even if they come back,will they manage to find a new team? And,even if some crazy team decides to make a contract with them,will they be invited to the most important races of the world? I don't think so.Your opinions?

My snowy morning diary:

Today I had a crazy morning! Crazy,funny,boring,long...I don't know how to define it.However, here's a little diary of what happened between today and yesterday here in Bergamo:

Yesterday evening,7.00 pm. I'm in my bedroom,in front of the computer.It has been snowing since yesterday evening and everything's covered in white.I check the news on Google and I find out that lots of schools in Piemonte tomorrow will be closed because of the snow.I immediately begin to search news about schools here in Bergamo.

Yesterday evening,7.20 pm.A news appears on my computer screen: "Schools in Bergamo will be closed tomorrow".I call my sister and she starts to dance happily.Then,I read the whole news. And I find out that not all,but only some elementary and secondary schools tomorrow will be closed.And of course all the high schools of the town will be open.And the wonderful article also says: "The streets are in very bad conditions so we suggest you not going out if it isn't necessary".Are you kidding me? Are you stupid? You close the elementary and the secondary schools of the villages and you leave the high schools of the town open? And then you admit that the streets are in horrible condition? I mean,children who go to secondary and primary schools in the villages don't take the bus and don't create more problems to the traffic,do they? Instead,we guys of the high school do create problems with all our buses,don't we? And so, why do you close just the elementary and the secondary schools?

Yesterday evening,8.00 pm:the news on the tv says that all the schools in Bergamo tomorrow will be closed.But Bergamo Tv, "the channel that never lies",says it isn't true.Of course it's right.I go to bed at 10.30 pm,knowing that tomorrow will be a hard day.

Today morning,6.25 am.I get up at the usual hour.I turn on the tv,hoping for a last hour news to come and say:"Even the high schools of Bergamo are closed",but nothing.And while I'm there,drinking tea and watching tv,on Bergamo tv appears Savoldelli (!),that starts to talk about his career.I like Savoldelli,he's a good guy,but this definitely makes my hope go away.

Today morning,6.55 am.While I'm waiting for the bus to arrive,a guy on a mountain bike rides inside the snow,probably in order to go to work.He probably freezed on the saddle after a few minutes.

Today morning,7.30. I'm on the bus since 7.00 am and it has already done 5 kms.Maybe I can manage to get to school on time...A girl behind me keeps on calling her mum on the phone: "Mum,we've done just 2 kms in 10 minutes time! I'll never arrive to school on time! Should I get off the bus?".I'm terribly tired,and it's just 7.30 am.But there's nothing new with it.I'm always tired when I have to go to school...

Today morning,8.10. I get off the bus.Theorically,I'm on time.Theorically.While I'm walking in the parking car in front of my school,I feel a bit like King Kong because of my way of walking inside the snow.Suddenly I see 3 friends of mine and we start to talk. What are you doing here? "We've decided to return home because the school is closed". Are you kidding me?????????? "No,we're not.The school is closed,it snows and we go home".I go to check if the school is really closed and I find out that no,it isn't closed.After all this fatigue,I get to school.We should be 22, we're in 7.

8.20 am:our English teacher arrives and asks us: "Is there anybody absent?" No,just 15 people... 3 of my classmates will arrive at 9.00 am,another one will arrive at 10.50.

10.55 am: Our Italian teacher tells us that she doesn't want to make the infamous 2 hour lesson this afternoon.Finally a good news.We spend 2 hours listening to our teacher that talks about Marco Polo and someone else and then,during P.E. hour,we have a snowball fight.Of course, we have a lot of fun.

14.15 pm: Finally I come back home and think about how my morning went.My conclusion? It could have gone worse,very worse.And now,the question is:and tomorrow? Boh!

(that's my school...It looks much better in photo than in the reality!)

Btw,if you've read all my "diary of craziness (?) here in Bergamo",you've been very kind.Sorry if I bored you...Now comes the interessant part.I've found out a few things about Andy lately.

1.His "whole name" would be "Andy James Schleck",I know I'm ignorant,but I didn't know it.

2.His shoes are size 45 italian measure (Sorry but I don't know the measures in other countries... Next time I'll go shopping I'll take a look!).

3.When he has a race in laps,in the evening he eats 2 dishes of pasta and/or potatoes.

4.I know,I've already posted this photo,but do you think he's got something on his cheeks or is it just the pic that is not very good?

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?).

New "profile photos":

I didn't have anything to do today,so I've decided to post this photos of Frank and Andy Schleck.I've found them on team Saxo Bank's website,so they should have been taken by Tim De Waele. They're the photos for the new profiles of the riders (and in fact they are wearing the new team jersey).They're new for me and I hope they're new also for you!

New Year,New Interview!

So,here’s the interview I’ve talked you about (I wanted to say “Here’s your interview” but I would have sounded a bit like Cadel Evans,so I decided it was better to avoid...).I’ve found it on a luxembourgian site and it’s quite old (March 2007,I think). It is an interview with Andy and thanks to it I’ve discovered some interesting things about him (for example,what he puts in his suitcase for races in laps).The most terrible thing I've discovered is that in 2006 he had a herpes zoster.When I first read the interview,I didn't know anything about this disease,so I decided to take a look on http://www.wikipedia.it/ and there I've seen a horrible picture.Bleah! Probably tonight I'll have nightmares about that disease (yesterday night I made a dream about a rat as big as a dog hidden in the stairs...No comment).Hope I'll never get it!
Btw,the original interview was in German,so I've translated some parts of it in a free way.I hope you can understand it (if you want to read it in German,just ask:I’ll publish it) and that you like it!
NB:The first photo is by Tim De Waele,the second one is from Frank and Andy Italian Fanclub (does anybody know where they did end up?)

Interview with Andy Schleck "Andy Schleck (Team CSC) Privat":
What do you think were your best experiences in the races last year (ndr:in 2006)?
AS: My two stage-victories at the Sachsen-Tour.The Tour of Germany was a great experience too.Everyday I had a lot of work to do for the Team Leader,Jens Voigt,and if I hadn’t to work so much for him,maybe my result in the GC would have been even better.The Tour de Suisse,that I ran for the first time,was also another great experience.
And the most negatives?
In April I broke my collarbone because I fell during a race in France.Then I couldn't take part in the last races of the season because I suffered of herpes zoster (ndr:also known as shingles in English,as “Gurtelrose” with the umlaut on the “u” in German,and as “Fuoco di S.Antonio” in Italian.Poor boy!).
Where have you trained lately?
In Luxembourg.
What are your goals for 2007?
I’ll run the Giro,my first Grand Tour.We haven’t got a leader,so I’ll test myself in the mountain stages if I manage to keep the pace of the best riders.If I arrive in the Top 20 of the GC,I’ll be very happy.I’d also like to have a good result in the Paris-Nice.We’ll know who our leader will be after the first mountain stage,and then I’ll have to work for him.

How do you see Jan Ullrich’s future?
That’s hard to say.From the moral point of view,he should return to be a believable rider (ndr:hard to translate),then he should clear out his head and find a team.Then,he may be able to return back in the peloton.
Who do you think are the favourites for the 2007 Tour?
Valverde,Vinokourov,Basso (ndr;wasn’t he already disqualified at that time?),Sastre and my brother Frank.
Which are your favourite races?
The Tour de Suisse,that I won’t run this year.I also like the Tour of Lombardy, that suits my characteristics well.The next month I’ll run the Ardenne’s classics for the first time.They should suit my characteristics well too.I also hope to run the Tour de France next year.
How important is the family for a rider? How can you conciliate your races and your family?
I’m still a teenager,I’m just 21! I don’t have any children to look after! However,my family is very important to me. I’m always happy when I have a race,but I’m happy in the same way when I can return to my home.And my brother often runs with me.
What does a rider put in his suitcase when he has to face a race in laps (ndr;a race that lasts more than a day)?
A lot of music,an I-Pod and a Playstation.
Which riders are your models?
Valverde and my brother Frank.
What will you do when you give up cycling?
I’ll be a pensioner...

Blues Brothers!

So,New Year has started.Hope it will be a happy one for me,for my family,for all the people I know,for all the people who read this blog,for the Schleck brothers and for their fans.
New year and same old problems with my computer.I really wanted to post a video on the blog,but I couldn't,so I suggest you taking a look at this video: http://it.youtube.com/watch?v=S7lwcjNaH_A .It is taken from my favourite film, "Blues Brothers".I absolutely love it! In a certain period of my life,I was about 5,I used to go round my house with sunglasses on at every time of the day,and I was completely in love with Elwood Blues (Dan Aykroyd).Aaah,those were the days...However,why did I put this link on the blog? Well,yesterday evening this film was on tv and the idea of putting the link on the blog hit me when I saw the part in which the band goes to buy the instruments by Ray.In fact,the video has something to do with the Schleck brothers.In an interview (that you can find on Ilaria’s blog or on mine),Frank said that his heroes when he was young were Ray Charles and Johnny Cash,and the man who plays the piano in this video is Ray Charles. Do you think Frank has ever seen this film too?

NB:Now I'm going to post an interview,but if you want to leave comments here you can (and you can do it also on all the other posts I've published until now,even if they're very old).

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYBODY!

Happy New Year,dear fangirls!!! How you doing? Me's doing well.I've eaten so many things!
Yesterday evening I stayed at home with mommy,daddy,my sister,2 of my grandparents,my uncle and his wife,then this morning I went to my aunt's house and I stayed there 'till 4 pm.I feel like an egg...I'm so full! (I don't know if people actually use the expression in English...hope you'll understand it).
Btw,you won't believe it,but I've managed to post some photos of my house on the blog! I hope you'll enjoy them:
1.This is my living room with the Christmas tree and the table (photo taken yesterday evening by my sister).

2.That's the pineapple we ate yesterday evening...Nice,isn't it?

3.Yesterday evening it snowed,and so that's how my garden looked like this morning.

There's still a lot of snow around.I hope it will snow again on the 6th of January.If it snows too much,the following day I may not be able to go to school and that would be a wonderful way to finish my holidays...
However,I hope you'll have a happy new year and that you had fun yesterday evening.
Btw,I'm translating a new interview and it will probably be ready for tomorrow! Bye!!