The speculation over the future for the Schleck brothers Frank and Andy can finally be put to rest as the management of the Trek team has announced that the two Luxembourgish stars will be part of the 2014 roster. The two brothers will be reunited in familiar surroundings after a difficult time that has seen Andy struggle for results and Frank serve a one-year doping suspension.
Ever since it was announced that owner of the Radioshack team, Flavio Becca, announced that he had sacked Frank Schleck, a cloud of uncertainty has been dangling over the heads of him and his brother Andy. Frank had hoped to resume his career as part of the Luxembourgish team when his doping-related suspension expired on July 14.
That all came to nothing. At the same time, Andy made it clear that it was impossible to imagine the two teams riding on different teams, thus opening up a lot of speculation over the brothers' future careers.
The situation was further complicated by the fact that Becca had sold the license to Trek and so the American bicycle manufacturer will take over the team on January 1. Current team manager Luca Guercilena is set to continue in this position and he did not hide his wish to keep the two brothers in the ranks.
The speculation can now finally come to an end as the Trek team has announced that both riders have signed a contract to race for the squad in 2014. Having already made public their wish to keep most of the current roster, it comes a little surprise that two of the captains join classics star Fabian Cancellara as the second and third rider on the 2013 roster.
“We’re very excited to add two riders that bring the race experience and professionalism that Andy and Fränk both have,” Trek VP Joe Vadeboncoeur said. “We’ve built a strong relationship with them in the past few years, and we can’t wait to see what we’ll be able to accomplish together next season”
Rumours have circulated that Frank could sign for another team for the remainder of the 2013 season and Guercilena has even said that a little end-of-season racing could be beneficial for his 2014 campaign. For now, Frank has nothing to say about his nearest future and is just happy to have sorted his long-term commitments out.
“Andy and I feel very similar about Trek,” Fränk Schleck said. “We have a good relationship and we hold Trek in our hearts. They supported me throughout the rough period I have been through - from the people on the road to the top management. We wanted to return this confidence and trust by signing on to their new project.”
Andy has had a rough time ever since he crashed at last year's Dauphiné and while he never featured at the pointy end in the recent Tour de France, his overall 20th place indicates that he is on the rise.
"I'm happy to re-sign with the Trek family and be a part of this project. The jersey of the team may be different but I'm happy that a large part of this team will remain intact," Andy said. "I'm really looking forward to the future with this team."
The team expects to announce further signings in the coming days.
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