Andy Schleck and Frank Schleck’s “separation was not a good idea”, Kim Andersen
After a disappointing season, Team RadioShack-Nissan has started analysing the mistakes and Sports Director Kim Andersen has noted that separating Andy Schleck and Frank Schleck was of the mistake made by the team management.
Andy Schleck finished second during the Tour de France 2011 with his brother Frank finishing at the third position after the final general classifications.
The critics noted that the Schleck brother race for each other and if it had not been for Frank, Andy would have occupied the top podium spot.
Team Manager Johan Bruyneel took that seriously and decided to split the winning combination of the two.
Jakob Fuglsang was expected to lead the Luxembourg team at the Giro d’Italia but his health conditions restricted him from riding the first Grand Tour race of the season.
Frank Schleck was given the leadership role at the Giro which meant he could not target the Tour de France overall classifications after the Giro fatigue.
He could not finish the Italian Grand Tour after the crash in the final week of the race but managed to regain his strength for the Tour de France.
Andy had to abandon the Tour because of a surgery he had earlier in May and it was the first time in five years that the two brothers could not ride the French race side by side.
Frank was tested positive at the Tour de France for Xipamide during a competition test on July 14, 2012.
While commenting on the disastrous season, Andersen told Nieuwsblad,”Andy achieved no results and couldn’t attend the Tour because of a broken sacral bone”.
“Fränk finished second in the Tour of Switzerland, but then tested positive at the Tour for a diuretic and masking agent Xipamide".
"The separation was not a good idea. Why change a winning team? What has that yielded this season?"
"If we want to get something out of Andy, we need a clean slate. To date we have not been talking, but we will still sit together”.
“I am sure that it can still work with both Schlecks at RadioShack-Nissan," said Andersen.
Andy was last seen in action at the Criterium du Dauphine 2012 while Frank is preparing for his next appearance in front of the Luxembourg Anti-Doping Commission on October 8th, 2012.
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