For the first time since his brother’s retirement from professional cycling had been announced, Frank Schleck decided to reflect on how a tough decision affected both of them.

“When Andy first retired I didn’t want to come out and say that much because I felt like I would just be repeating things,” his brother Fränk told Cyclingnews.

Andy Schleck announced his retirement at the official press conference held in the beginning of October. A difficult decision made by younger of the brothers was by all means expected, as he had struggled to come back to his lever from before the Criterium du Dauphine 2012 crash without any success.

“Obviously I knew that the news was coming. For about two or three weeks he’d already decided and we talked through everything. We understood that there was no way back and that, because of the damage to his knee, it was all over. It was a very hard moment but everyone has to slow down at some point. The wheels stop for every rider. You can’t ride forever and for Andy that moment is now. If he could change it he would have but that’s how it is.”

Since then, both brothers have spent three-week holidays together in Mallorca, having plenty of opportunities to discuss a dramatic turn in professional career of once dominant 29-year old rider.

“I’d be lying if I said that everything for him has been good. He’s had a hard time and at moments he has been miserable. Maybe what people didn’t see is that he tried everything to come back. He was out in Mallorca for three weeks before the decision was taken, and he was there with a medical team and was riding to try and come back. Everyday he tried.

“So he’s been down and he’s needed this recent break in order to try and get over these feelings. Still, even today when we were together, when we start talking about cycling it’s tough. We automatically start talking about it because it’s our passion, it’s our life, and you can see straight away that it’s a tough thing to talk about. He is coming to terms with the situation and he is coming around to the fact that one chapter has closed but that another can begin. He’s looking forward to that future.”

Frank admitted that countless discussions concerning cycling and Andy’s current situation weren’t easy for any of them and that brother’s was a huge blow for him.

“There’s been some time to understand the news and I’ve personally come to accept it but it was like a punch in the stomach when he first told me. Since then, I have to say thank you to everyone who has reached out to us, and especially to Andy, because a lot of fans, riders, and our friends have said a lot of nice things. They’ve reminded us that the memories we shared and created on the road, they will last forever.”

The older Schleck brother realizes, though, that a three-week long vacation is not long enough period for Andy to fully come to terms with a latest twist in his professional life. Frank expects that the second wave will hit heavily once he kicks off his own preparations towards the 2015 season.

“There are moments when he’s okay but I think the second wave will come. I’ll start going to training camps and then the races, and I think it’s going to hit him again. It’s not going to be easy but there has to be acceptance. That’s how it is and we just have to rally around him.”

“It’s like when we were back in races. We can read each other really well so I can tell from just one look if he wants to talk about cycling or not. Sometimes it was good to talk about the sport but there were other moments when it was just better to talk about family or fishing, anything but cycling.”

At the end of his press conference Andy spoke about a possible return to cycling in a non-competitive role.

“I’d love for him to stay in cycling but it’s too early to talk about that. He still has to fight the emotions he’s going through before anything can be decided. He wants to stay in the sport and we’re going to see him around, he just needs more time.”