121. Andy Schleck: Chaingate, Contador, Bruyneel, Froome, retiring demons and the brotherhood

This week James and Will are joined by Andy Schleck, Tour de France winner, brother to Frank and victim in the infamous chaingate affair, in which Alberto Contador rode past a stricken Schleck – the yellow jersey wearer having suffered a dropped chain – to snatch the 2010 Tour de France top step. Two years later, Schleck was retroactively awarded the win after Contador was banned for doping, but how does that sit with the 39-year-old Luxembourgish today?In a wonderfully candid chat, Schleck explains his thoughts then and now, plus what it meant to race with his brother, his special bond with teammates forged off the road, the doping scene in the early 2000s, his stunning 2009 Tour and his bittersweet experience in 2011, the injuries that led to retirement, the personal crisis he faced once he hung up his wheels, and what he really thinks about Bjarne Riis, Johan Bruyneel, Chris Froome and, of course, Christmas.Today, Andy Schleck runs several successful cycling shops in Luxembourg and is ambassador for the Kitzbüheler Radmarathon, a gruelling sportive that takes place in Austria in September 2025.----Did you know Cyclist is also stunning monthly print magazine? Subscribe now at store.cyclist.co.uk/cycpod and get every issue for less than in the shops, delivered straight to your door. And it's also a rather lovely website about everything road cycling and gravel. Check us out at cyclist.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.