Frank Schleck is ready to start his fifteenth season as a professional rider. The Trek Factory rider, who is now 35 years old, explained to Cyclingnews that his retirement is not imminent and that he targets a great Tour de France in 2016.

"I really still enjoy riding my bike but there’s no denying that this has been a really tough season. It’s been a rollercoaster from start to finish," he told. "I wont carry on riding until I’m 42, don’t worry. It’s going to be hard for me, next season, because I’ve been on the podium in races like the Tour but I know that’s not going to be easy to repeat because of the evolution of young riders who are coming through and it’s harder and harder to perform. However, I still believe that I can ride a top ten in the Tour."

Schleck believes that he can still lead the team in other ways by being at the front of the race or giving experience to young riders. About his 2016 schedule, he is not entirely sure but it’s possible he will start his season in Australia at the Santos Tour Down Under. He will race some European races, the Ardennes, the Tour de Suisse and the Tour de France.

“It’s just evolution that a team changes from year to year and that’s the same with every squad. We have a couple of new riders like Ryder (Hesjedal), Kiel Reijnen and a Niccolò Bonifazio. Ryder I’ve known my whole career but Peter Stetina is another rider who I think could be a real joker in our pack. He’s coming back from that bad crash that he had but he could be very strong.”

“I don’t know when I’ll stop, I really don’t. It’s hard to imagine that this will be my final season. I’ve had one year off the bike and I know just how much I missed it. For now, I’m just thinking about next season and getting the best out of myself. If I can ride like that and perform for the team I’ll be happy. Then we’ll see what happens.”