Luxembourg champion Frank Schleck (Leopard Trek)(Image credit: Isabelle Duchesne)
Stage winner Andy Schleck (Leopard - Trek) (Image credit: AFP)
Andy and Fränk Schleck have seen the Tour de France 2012 parcours and it is full of time trial kilometres, the sub specialty which is their greatest weakness. The brothers are already contemplating how they will face the challenge, and are looking forward to accepting the challenge along with their new sport director, Johan Bruyneel.
The parcours which was accidentally published earlier this week has 96 kilometres of time trial, as compared to only 60 in 2011, of which only 42.5 were individual. “The time that you lose there must be made up on other terrain,” Fränk Schleck told Tageblatt.lu. “But we must focus more on time trialing.”
They will do that by “increasing muscle mass this winter and working on aerodynamic position. We have already talked to Johan Bruyneel about it. He insists that we work further on this.”
Andy Schleck is finally over the infections and problems associated with his dental problems. “I am swimming a lot right now and running and weight lifting, but I also know that I can't ignore cycling. At the end of this week, I will start training on the road again.”
While the Schlecks have already spoken with Bruyneel, they know that he will not be able to turn his full attention to them until the current season is over. They hope to set up a meeting for the new team in the next few weeks, and then will discover what the Belgian has in mind for them.
“I know that he has many ideas and maybe will plan a different programme from the last few years leading up to the Tour de France,” Andy Schleck said. “I think there will also be different preparation for the Spring Classics.”
He called Bruyneel, “one of the best and most important men in cycling, maybe the man we have been missing.”
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Fränk Schleck also praised “our strong new captain Johan Bruyneel. He will surely steer this boat well. He has a very strong hand and behind him to co-ordinate things is Kim Andersen, our right hand in training, who puts our programme together.”
As to the composition of the new team, Andy Schleck said that “I think the right choices have been made, at any rate I am satisfied.” While he regrets losing Stuart O'Grady, “On the other hand, we will have riders like Andreas Klöden at our side. I know 99.5 percent of which riders we have and which staff, and it is a team that we will be proud to be with in the future.”
