Fr�nk Schleck on Home Ground
25.05 18:36
Fr�nk Schleck is on home ground, when the Tour de Luxembourg kicks off on Thursday. In this, his third year at Team CSC, the talented rider has had a great spring season.
"Already at the first trainingcamp I spoke to the sports directors about my main goals for the spring season. They wanted me to do well in Paris-Nice, Grand Prix Cholet and Criterium International. I achieved all my goals and I'm happy to be able to repay them for having faith in me," says Fr�nk Schleck.
In Paris-Nice he was a great help to team mate and winner J�rg Jaksche, but still managed a ninth place overall. He finished fourth in Grand Prix Cholet, and in Criterium International, Schleck helped team mate Jens Voigt secure the overall win in the hilly second stage, where Schleck finished second behind Voigt.
"Jens Voigt is actually my idol. I hope to race like him someday. He's constantly on the attack, never worried about what's going to happen. Even though he just came back from a training camp, he won the Bayern Rundfahrt, which was just meant as preparation for the Deutschland Tour."
Schleck himself will use Tour de Luxembourg as preparation for Tour de Suisse, but he is still extremely motivated to perform well in front of a home crowd.
"I'll do everything to win a stage. I also hope for a good overall result, but this race is often decided in the time trial, and sometimes, if you're not in the right break away, you are suddenly out of contention, as most of the riders in the peloton are preparing themselves for the Tour, which means they're not especially interested in using up their strenght trying to reel in the leaders," Schleck explains.
The 24-year old rider has been training hard for the past three weeks, but allthough Tour de Luxembourg is his first race since the spring classics, he can expect back up from his team mates.
"With great riders like Basso, Sastre and Jaksche in the line-up, I would never consider myself captain of the team. But since they've just been practicing at the Alpe d'Huez, they're probably not in the best racing condition. So I think all of us will get a chance should the right opportunity arise."
Fr�nk Schleck also has a younger brother, who is a very talented bikerider. 18-year old Andy Schleck just won the U/23 stage race Fleche du Sud.
"I hope Andy will join Team CSC one day, so we can ride together. He's a great talent and despite his young age he could be in for a spot on the Luxembourg Olympic Team in Athens this year."
Tour de Luxembourg - official website
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