Frank Schleck has been a teammate of Fabian Cancellara’s for many seasons through the highs and lows of his career, and says the peloton will lose a special rider who will be hard to replace once the Swiss star ends his career in December.

“Fabian is the golden child,” Schleck told VeloNews. “There are not many races he hasn’t won, or hasn’t left his footprints on. He is special. I am proud to be with him on this team, and we’ve gone through a lot together. Fabian is a good guy. I love him. He is golden.”

Luxembourger Schleck is in his eleventh season as Cancellara’s teammate and he says that Cancellara is one of the most talented riders he has ever seen, but is also a great friend.

“He is the one that I know most as a friend, and he is one of the most talented bike riders I have ever seen,” Schleck said. “The way he transforms his training into shape, I have never seen it before. He can go out in three hours, and he can ride himself into shape. That is true talent.”