The 2013 season may well go down in history as Andy Schleck’s worst year as a professional rider, and it has certainly been his most disappointing season to date.

Struggling to recover from an injury he sustained in 2012, Schleck (RadioShack-Leopard) has abandoned a series of races and never made a serious impact on any of the races in which he participated. The Luxembourger, nonetheless, looks to the future with optimism.

“Next year I’ll embark on a new start with Trek,” Schleck explained in an interview with Luxembourg newspaper Le Quotidien according to Tuttobiciweb.it.

“I’m highly motivated and I feel ready to target the Tour and some of the Spring Classics,” Schleck said. “Of course I cannot know if I’ll be able to win those races, all I can say is that I’m working hard in order to return to my top level.

Schleck was unequivocal when outlining his future goal, but he also acknowledged that it would be difficult to achieve a repeat win of the Tour (which he won in 2010 after Contador had been stripped of his win due to a doping offence).

“Evidently, winning the Tour remains a dream, but nobody can be sure of winning the Tour. Over the course of a few years the level of competition has increased significantly,” Schleck added without mentioning any names.

Schleck also revealed that he has decided upon a fixed race itinerary for the coming season in his build-up for the Tour de France.

“I haven’t really decided upon which races to compete in next season,” the younger Schleck brother said. “My season will begin at the Tour of Oman and then we’ll see. I’ll decide upon a race itinerary with the team once we get together at a training session.”

Inevitably, Schleck also talked about his older brother, Frank.

“Having Frank by my side will only stimulate me further,” he said. “Both he and I have experienced some difficult moments during the past couple of years with more lows than ups, but we’re both looking forward to commence on a new adventure.”