Leopard Trek rider Andy Schleck will head into this Sunday’s Amstel Gold Race completely satisfied with his condition, saying that he considers he hasn’t been as well prepared for the Ardennes Classic as he is now.
“I feel super good and I am really motivated. I’ve never felt so good at this point of the season,” he said in an interview with Le Quotidien. “I was speaking recently to [directeur sportif] Kim Andersen and this is without doubt the first time I cannot complain of a glitch. I was not sick. I have not had knee problems last year. Frankly I feel good and I'm ready.”
Schleck’s preparations for the race included the recent Vuelta al Pais Vasco, where he was third on the stage to Lekunberri and finished eleventh overall. Prior to that, he rode in support of his brother Frank in Criterium International, helping him to win. He said that the Spanish event helped him to pinpoint a rider who he considers to be a big rival for Amstel, and one who he must watch closely.
“[Rabobank] have two possible winners…Oscar Freire and Robert Gesink. But Freire impressed me most in the Tour du Pays Basque. He climbed very well, was very sharp. It is he that I fear the most, [along] with Sanchez and Gilbert.”
Freire and Gilbert are completely different riders to the Luxembourg competitor, being much more explosive. They can sprint well on the flat, and are also strong on power climbs, thanks to their fast-twitch muscle fibres. Realising this, he said that it will shape his tactics, forcing him to go far out.
“It is clear that if I arrive at the bottom of the Cauberg with a guy like Gilbert, I do not win,” he conceded. “Everyone who has a burst of speed and is there in the finale is more likely [to win] than we, the pure climbers. For example, the finish of Flèche Wallonne, the top of the Wall of Huy, suits me better. The sprinters who can climb well aim for Amstel, not other Ardennes classics. They must be dropped before, for if one takes Freire bottom of the Cauberg...”
Gilbert’s victory last year is a case in point. The Belgian unleashed a hugely impressive finishing burst which carried him well clear of his rivals, and is in the sort of form to do so again. Because of this, the Schleck brothers and others must attack well before that final climb, both to weaken the power riders and also to try to eke out a decent lead before the Cauberg.
Another factor which will impact on the Leopard-Trek game plan is the presence of Fabian Cancellara on the squad for the race. He passed up the chance to take part last year, citing physical and mental fatigue after winning the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, but this time round is determined to show well in the Dutch Classic. He has taken three podium finishes in this year’s Classics, but second in Milan-Sanremo, third in the Tour of Flanders and second in Paris-Roubaix do not equal the victory he was chasing.
Amstel Gold is his final chance and while it’s hard to envisage him challenging the lighter riders on the climbs, Schleck’s description of the Classic as one which can also suit the sprinters might give Cancellara room to hope that he can do something.
“It gives an additional opportunity [to the team], in that we are three leaders,” he said. “Fabian is discovering Amstel, it is the first time he lines up at the start. It's hard to say what he can do, but he is obviously a leader. With him, we can expect anything. Given the form he has, he should be fine. We'll see how he handles the succession of hills. But he is clearly an asset for us. If he is there in the end, he will be quite a contender. If not well, he will work for us.”
Whomever proves strongest on the day, the team will be united in its goal; Leopard-Trek is yet to win a Classic, and is a stated goal of the team to do so this spring. That will ensure that everyone on the squad gives their utmost in the battle over the short, steep climbs which punctuate the course and will pulverise the peloton.