Several seasons ago both Schleck brothers would be called the outright favorites to excel in the coming Tour de France, those times are gone, however, and 28-year old Andy agrees that it would be a pure madness to place them on such list alongside Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo), Chris Froome (Team Sky) or Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) taking their latest results into consideration.

“I agree with that. I don’t have any problem with that,” Schleck told Le Quotidien. “I was 20th last year and I wasn’t up there in the spring classics. That’s all logical. If it was the opposite, I’d be worried! If I’d read or heard somewhere that I was still a favourite for the Tour, I’d have picked up the phone and asked them if they were mad…”

While Andy agrees that he didn’t live up to high expectations regarding the three time Tour de France podium finisher since he has returned to racing following his injury, he still hopes to reach an optimal disposition ahead of the biggest three-week event of cycling calendar by following his usual race programme.

While the spring campaign of the 28-year old Luxembourger was partially spoiled by knee injury, his older brother managed to show little glimpses of increasing form at the Paris-Nice and Criterium international, and thus he would be the rider backed by the Trek Factory Racing team for the Tour de Luxembourg general classification.

“It’s a bit funny to say it, but yes, I was glad that they showed I was suffering from tendinitis,” he said. “I said to myself: ‘I’m not mad after all!’ It reassured me.”

While brothers expects to enjoy their time in front of home crowds in Luxembourg, they will continue their Tour build up by participating in the Tour de Suisse and national championships.

“I want to help Fränk to try and win the overall, that’s my ambition,” he said. “That what I want to do above all. After that, we’ll see…”

Before lining up at the Tour de Luxembourg, however, brothers did a reconnaissance of some of the 2014 Tour de France stages, and Andy couldn’t held back still vivid memories of the times when he was the one to fight for a victory in the French grand tour. By this occasion, the 28-tear old Trek Factory Racing rider once again emphasized that even though he still struggles to resemble even a shadow of his former self, he still has ambitions of returning to the top of the discipline.

“When I came over the Izoard, I said to myself: ‘That’s where you attacked on the Galibier stage [in 2011].’ At the bottom of the Tourmalet, I said to myself: ‘Up there in 2010, I won the stage ahead of Contador. When we came by Port de Balès, I said to myself: ‘That’s where you attacked and then slipped your chain.’

“I thought of all of that again, obviously. It’s true that at those moments, I felt very strong. Of course I want to be so again. I want become the same as I was before.”