The Schlecks meet the press
- By Neal Rogers
- Published Jul. 22, 2009
- Updated Dec. 15, 2010 at 7:59 PM UTC
Following their strong performance on the 17th stage of the Tour de France, Saxo Bank’s Fränk and Andy Schleck met with the press.
By finishing first and third in what is widely regarded as the toughest stage of the Tour thus far, the brothers have moved up into the top three of the overall standings, trailing only race leader Alberto Contador (Astana), who finished second on the day. Andy Schleck now occupies second place, 2:26 behind Contador, while Fränk is in third at 3:25.
VeloNews’Neal Rogers attended the press conference and provides these highlights.
Andy Schleck:This morning Bjarne Riis came up with a plan. I’ve always had a lot of respect for today’s stage, I knew big differences could be made. Frank had no GC goals, he was there to help me and he did it fantastically. My radio wasn’t working at the end, but I told him we would go for the victory. I took control on the downhill, because I am a better descender. I am super happy for him to take the win. Now we are second and third overall. Tomorrow there is the time trial, and we are not specialists, but we are not worried either. And then comes the Ventoux.
Question: Frank, how do you compare your two TDF stage wins?
Fränk Schleck: It’s not possible to compare. It’s tough enough just to win a stage, I just want to enjoy it right now and I want to help Andy get on the podium. At the start of Tour I was not in good shape, but Andy and my girlfriend helped motivate me, and to win is great. I want to dedicate it to Jens and Kurt who aren’t here in body but are here in mind
Q: What about Contador’s attack on Colombiere?
AS: When he attacks its better to take your time; he has a great punch but then he slows down; we came back to him step by step.
Q: Did you consider attacking Contador on Colombiere?
AS:No we didn’t have that idea, and besides, he would just hold the wheel. It was a good situation for all of us, and besides, on a climb like the Colombiere you can’t just drop Alberto Contador.
Q: Have you conceded the overall win to Contador?
AS: It’s a bike race. We saw at Paris-Nice that Contador can have a bad day, like his sugar flat. He is a big champion, but he made a mistake. It’s not going to be a secret to tell you he is very strong and it will be hard to beat him. But he is a human being and humans make mistakes. We will wait for his mistake, and if we don’t make mistakes ourselves, we will be there and take the opportunity. We have to believe or we might as well stop racing here. We are here for the competition. We will keep on attacking
Q: What will your strategy be on Mont Ventoux?
AS: I believe the Ventoux will be similar to today; the same people will be there. It’s the third week of race and everybody is tired. I told the team today I didn’t feel great first few hours. I am tired, but in the end it is the legs that do the talking and we saw that today. On Ventoux people will be more tired, but then again, Frank and I usually recover well. If the climb is steeper it is better for us, we saw that today. Ventoux is not that steep, and it could end in a small bunch sprint. On Ventoux we will be up there and then we will take it from there.
Q: Which is more decisive, Thursday’s time trial or Saturday on Ventoux?
AS: I think today was the most decisive stage of this Tour. I don’t want to say I will be second in Paris, but I have always said that today was the queen stage; there was no sitting in the back. It was the legs that counted today. I know we’re not going to wait until Venotux to decide the podium. Like I said, I think today was a similar scenario to Ventoux — the same guys will be at the front today will be at the front on Ventoux; I think it looks good for us.
FS: My goal is just to be with Andy. It’s no secret we are not big TT specialists. What time I lose tomorrow. I hope to take back on Ventoux.
FILED UNDER: News / Road / Tour de France TAGS: Tour de France
Neal Rogers
An interest in all things rock 'n' roll led Neal into music journalism while attending UC Santa Cruz. After several post-grad years spent waiting tables, surfing and mountain biking, Neal moved to San Francisco, working stints as a bike messenger and at a software start-up. He moved to Colorado in 2001, taking an editorial internship at VeloNews. He never left, and is now Velo's editor in chief. When not traveling the world covering races, Neal can be found riding his bike, skiing, cooking, or attending a concert. Follow him on Twitter at @nealrogers.