They say that the Tourmalet is tough, the Ventoux vicious, and the Bonette back-breaking, but nothing compares to the hardship, the graft and above all the suffering that comes with being in an airport for thirty hours.

They should make a race of it. The directors could drive around in airport buggies and we could keep in contact via hands-free phones. Each rider could have a trolley with all their food for the day and we could just do laps of the terminal. We’d drop Zabriskie as we speed past the comic shop, Jonathan Vaughters would take a tumble into Tie Rack, while you can insert your own jokes about who we drop at the chemists.

Finally, with just a select bunch of riders still at the front, the AFLD could do the frisking at the gate before Contador, myself and Lance give everything as we engage in a last ditch sprint on the escalator. My arms raised in victory, air hostesses would parade me around Duty Free.

"Will passenger Andy Schleck please make his way to gate 19. This is the final call for Mr Andy Schleck."

That’s me. Shit. I can’t believe that after thirty hours of sitting in Frankfurt airport I’m going to be late for my flight. Gate 19? Gate 19? Okay, I see it.

I came to the airport yesterday, but with the volcano and aeroplane mechanicals causing delays I’ve been forced to wait it out. But now, finally, I’m heading for California. The airport hasn’t been that bad to be honest. Despite the long hours, the queues and the boredom I’ve been okay. I struck up conversation with two strangers while I was waiting. One was an American guy on his way back from fighting in Iraq and the another was a young salesman. We got chatting and last night we went out for dinner together. It’s amazing the people you can meet in life just by luck or chance, and both these guys were really good people.

The Amgen Tour of California is a big race for me and the team. We have a lot of American sponsors and with most of our Tour de France team taking part it’s a great dress rehearsal for July. The daydream I’ve just recounted demonstrates just how much I’m thinking about the race already.

It’s some way off, but with the Classics out of the way it’s the new goal for my season. I’ve already ridden some of the cobbled sections from the first few days and I’ve spent some time on my time trial bike. It’s all about the Tour now.

But as I said, California is important too. I’m not going there with my best form – I’ve had roughly a week of easy to moderate training – but I’d like to come away from the US with a stage win, like Fränk did last year. It’s a tough route too and it’ll be hard on everybody racing.

One race that has looked really tough is the Giro. I managed to catch a bit of the first few stages and while I can’t comment on the route, I have to say that my teammate Richie Porte is doing a great job in his first Grand Tour. In case you don’t know, it’s also his first year as a professional and right now, going into the first rest day, he’s second overall and leading the white jersey competition. Impressive.

It reminds me of 2007, when I won the same competition and finished second overall. It’s a really long race and the last thing Richie needs is pressure on his shoulders right now, but I hope he does a good ride and if he stays upright, he’ll get the support from our team.

Right, I’m about to board the aircraft. I’ve just made it in time. I’d better get to my seat and settle in.

It’s going to be a fun ride. I’m glad you’re coming with me. Next stop, California.

Courtesy of www.cyclingnews.com

"There are some risky elements in the Netherlands and Belgium where we must be careful not to lose unnecessary time. However, it appears that the route is harder than this year's Tour and I could get a better chance of winning time in the mountains and lose less time on the long time trial. I'm going for the overall victory next year but it's clear that Contador is the biggest favorite while Lance may be more motivated than ever”

Courtesy of Cycling News

Three days after my win in Liège-Bastogne-Liège and I'm sitting in the gutter, covered in dirt and grease. No, I've not been on a 72-hour celebratory binge. Instead I'm on a road outside Luxembourg with a crappy broken down car for company. It's raining, I'm cold and I can't even turn on the car heater to keep myself warm. Who said cycling is glamorous? Seriously, I'd like them to come out and offer me road-side assistance.

It's a totally different scenario to last Sunday, when I was standing on the top step of the podium for the first time in a major Classic – my favourite Classic – at Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Just saying it, writing it even, gives me goosebumps ... or maybe that's the onset of hypothermia.

But before I talk Liège, I should rewind and begin with the Amstel Gold. After Liège, Amstel is the race I have always wanted to win. It's one of the most beautiful races of the year and one that my brother has already won.

I'm sure you will have heard about my brother's crash. What you might not know is that he crashed twice, and after the first mishap he managed to get back up and rejoin the peloton. I can't explain what it's like when a sibling crashes. Of course it's bad when a teammate goes down, but when it's your brother it's very different.

For a second you find yourself unable to react. Your brain scrambles as you try and focus on whether the name and number coming over the radio is correct, and of course you're travelling further away from where you really want to be. But after the first crash he came up to me and we talked for a few second. It was really reassuring and all seemed okay.

The second crash was a lot worse and Fränk had to be taken to hospital. I didn't know he'd crashed until Nicki Sørenson came up to me and told me. Another rider quickly came up and said that he'd seen Fränk go down and that it didn't look good. I didn't know how to respond, I mean, what a great thing to tell me. What was I supposed to do with that gem of information?

Thankfully Bjarne [Riis] went with Fränk to the hospital, but I was quiet in the bunch for a long time. I was trying to listen out for any information that was coming over the radio and when I heard that he was okay it was a huge relief and meant I could concentrate on the race. Karsten Kroon and I were really strong and we took turns at attacking the field. He eventually got away which meant that I had to mark the moves from behind. He finished second, which was a good result for the team.

La Flèche Wallonne and Liège

Flèche is a race that demands respect. It's a hard race and it's one that so many riders want to win. Coming into it I knew that I had the form of my life but it was still nice when Kim Andersen asked everyone on the team to work for me. It put pressure on my shoulders but the team did a great job and they dropped me off at the bottom of the final climb in a great position. I almost got the job done but Rebellin had more punch in the sprint. However it gave me so much confidence leading into Liège.

That race went perfectly for me and everything just clicked into place. It's a special race but it's not one where you can attack ten times. If you launch yourself off the front it has to be a commitment that's unadulterated and total – you can't attack in half-measures as you'll be quickly found out.

Once I was away I had to keep my emotions in check. I knew that I had a gap and when I passed [Philippe] Gilbert I knew that I was going well. Putting it all into words is really hard though. Over the last five years I've worked so hard to get where I am. I've had to make so many sacrifices; put in hours of training; work for the team; give up so much, that it was a really emotional moment for me. I have to thank the team though. We've not really had much luck this year but we controlled the race perfectly.

That night Fränk and I travelled home and I saw my family and really close friends. We had a really short party and it was great to see everyone but the next day I was out on my bike time trial training with Fabian Cancellara. People have asked if a win like that will change me, but I don't think it will. The press were pretty quick at comparing me to Contador in the winner's press conference and asking me if the two of us were the favourites for the Tour. They can ask questions like that, I don't mind, but I know what I want and I know what I'm capable of, and if I stay the way I am and keep my feet on the ground I'll be okay.

So, what's next for me? Well, I'll take a bit of a break but then build my form back up and do a lot of time trial work. I can't slow down too much though as I'll still need to be in shape for the Tour of Switzerland. But right now I need to get home. It's getting dark, colder and my battery on my laptop is about to die. If anyone wants to come and pick me I'm on the….