FRANK SCHLECK

Country: Luxembourg

Born: 15.04.1980

Height: 186cm

Weight: 67kg

Pro since: 2003

Cycling Quotient Ranking: 33

Web: www.schleck.lu

Previous teams: Festina (01, stagiaire).

Contract expires: 2010.

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Flying high close to home

CSC rider Fränk Schleck has enjoyed an impressive 2005, taking strong results in the last few races of the season, where only the likes of Paolo Bettini and Gilberto Simoni could stop him from finishing first. The 25-year-old Luxemburger took the national jersey from teammate Kim Kirchen this year and almost made it to the podium in the Tour de Suisse, with five seconds separating himself and German superstar Jan Ullrich. This cycling revelation comes from a family with deep roots in the sport, and has found a perfect base to continue dreaming about higher goals with Danish team CSC, as he revealed to Cyclingnews' Hedwig Kröner.

Fränk Schleck Photo ©: Franklin Tello    Age: 29 ate of birth: April 15, 1980 Professional since: 2003 Teams: De Nardi-Pasta Montegrappa (2000), Festina [stagiaire] (2001-02), CSC (2003-05) Career highlights 2005: 2nd, Stage 2, Tour Méditerranéen 2nd, Stage 9, Tour de Suisse 2nd, Championship of Zurich 2nd, Giro dell'Emilia 3rd, Giro di Lombardia 3rd, Stage 3, Etoile de Bessèges 2004: 1st, Luxembourg national championships 2nd, Stage 2, Criterium International 3rd, Stage 7, Tour de Suisse

Cyclingnews: Tell me about your season - 2005 has been a breakthrough year for you, with plenty of great results...

Fränk Schleck: Yes. Now that I'm back to training, having trouble starting over again, I realise how great the season really was! Although I'm only riding 2-3 hours a day, still taking it easy. It's true that I've continuously improved every year since I became a pro three years ago. This season, it started out really well with the Tour Méditerranéen, where I placed second, then I became seventh in Paris-Nice. After that I raced Milano-Sanremo, and then Bjarne sent me to take a break and do some downhill skiing…

CN: You went skiing in the middle of the season?

FS: Yes! That was surprising but I must say that Bjarne really knows what he's doing and what a rider needs at any given time. Just before Milano-San Remo, Bjarne told me that I was participating in too many races before the Giro; that he needed me there in good form. 'You can't stop all together,' he said, 'you'd lose too much muscle. But your heart needs a rest.' So he asked me if I could ski. He said, 'don't break anything, but go ski, it's good for the muscles.' It was funny because my girlfriend happened to go for a skiing vacation one day before Milano-San Remo, so I raced there, even finished in the lead group, and then joined her. We skied together, but I also went walking up the mountain at 7 o'clock in the morning, three times a week. And I must say that it was great training! As I returned home, I was in top shape, even better than before. I'd like to do that again in 2006, if I can, as it was also great for my mind and motivation. Plus, I'm lucky I don't gain any weight that fast, so it's perfect for me.

To prepare for the Giro, I took part in the Belgian Classics. The Giro was a lot of hard work for our team, trying to pave the way for Ivan. Then I rode the Tour de Suisse, a race that I absolutely love. After that, I won the Luxemburg Championship - a true pleasure for me too, wearing the jersey now. In August, I raced the Deutschland Tour, where I wanted to be up front but unfortunately that wasn't possible - I was too ill. It was a pity because I like Germany as a country [Schleck speaks fluent German, as many Luxemburgers do]. It's a hard but beautiful event so I wanted to race fast, but my schedule was too full; after the Tour de la Région Wallonne I immediately did the Luk-Cup pair time trial, then the Tour of Benelux, then Germany. And for all of these events the weather was really bad, so I fell ill with the flu. The first three days in Germany I really struggled to make it through the stages, so it was over for me. But I didn't want to abandon, as I had trained well. And I'm not the kind of guy to quit a race - I just don't want to. It's too easy to get off the bike, and it can become a habit.

Fränk (l) and Andy Schleck
Photo ©: Sirotti 

Anyway, I finished the race and in one of the last stages, a mountain stage up the Feldberg, I was almost okay again. After I got over that illness, I wanted to make up for what I had missed in Germany, so my motto was to give it all at the end of the season, and that went really well. I also wanted to confirm my abilities after a very good season start with the Giro and especially the Tour de Suisse, so I really dug deep for the last three races, doing some training behind the motorbike with my Dad and brother, and it was a success. I didn't realise what I'd done at the time, but now - going back into training after a break of 4-5 weeks, you ask yourself: did I ever ride that fast?

CN: Which of your performances this year rates highest for you personally?

FS: Hmmm…actually, all of them. At the Tour de Suisse, I should have been on the podium [Schleck finished fourth, five seconds behind Jan Ullrich]. But another really important race for me was the Giro, because riding 100 per cent for Ivan was also a beautiful experience. To know that I was the last man with him on the climbs was really important for me; it was very satisfying and I learned a lot. And yes, of course, Zürich is one of my greatest achievements so far. Two years ago, I wouldn't have even dreamed about a situation like that. Only one guy left in front of me, and it's Bettini. We all know how good Bettini is… he's one of the greatest! And then that last race, the Giro di Lombardia, it's legendary. For me, it's part of the myth in cycling, together with races like Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Every rider has his own preferences, but for me, Lombardia is the greatest race [Schleck finished third in 2005, losing a three-man sprint to Gilberto Simoni and Bettini].

A little smile
Photo ©: Jeff Jones 

CN: So tell me about your family. Your father, Johnnny Schleck, was a pro in the 60's and 70's with the Luxemburg national team and with Bic [riding with Luis Ocaña and Tour de France-director Jean-Marie Leblanc], and your younger brother, Andy, is also with Team CSC...

FS: It's in the family, yes. My Dad rode the Tour de France eight or nine times [eight times, one abandon- ed.], so I was immersed in it since I was a child. My older brother Steve started racing, too, but I was too small so I came to the races to support him. But I always thought that his way of racing wasn't smart, so I had to prove it to him that I could do a better job…[laughs] So I started racing aged 13. And little by little, I grew into the sport, dreaming of course to become a pro, but I didn't really think of that. Andy started the same way. Steve has stopped now - he's moved into politics. But my Dad never pushed us towards cycling. He wanted us to do some sport, because it challenges you and imposes a certain discipline on you once you aim to become better at it. It was important for him that we didn't hang around on the streets, and sport is a good way to focus.

Jersey flying, working hard
Photo ©: Roberto Bettini 

I've always dreamed about becoming a pro, and now that that's achieved, I continue to dream about other goals. I think that it's important to never stop dreaming. Because if you do, you don't set yourself any more objectives. I always think of greater goals, and I believe I can still improve my performances. It helps a lot to be part of a team where everything works perfectly, where I've found great team mates and good friends. Another factor is that my brother is in the team, too, so I think I'm very lucky in this situation, because everything fits together, and that's an enormous advantage.

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