LIEGE, Belgium, April 25, 2009 (AFP) – After a promising but futile bid last year, Luxembourg’s Andy Schleck knows he has only one chance of beating his big rivals in the Liege-Bastogne-Liege one-day classic: to go on the attack.

The oldest, and arguably most prestigious one-day classic on the cycling calendar will on Sunday bring the curtain down on the spring classics season and promises, as ever, to do so in style.

While Schleck goes into the race with a healthy pedigree, as the best young rider of last year’s Tour de France, he knows he must do everything he can to avoid the dispiriting scenario of 2008, when Alejandro Valverde’s superior sprint powers signalled the death knell for the Schleck brothers’ hopes when Frank finished third and Andy fourth.

“My objective is to win,” said Andy, who first put his bike racing talents on the world stage when he finished runner-up in the 2007 Giro d’Italia.

“And to do that I have to attack. I can’t afford to wait for a sprint.”

The small differences in bike riders’ styles, and physique, may not be immediately obvious to the untrained eye but often those nuances can be crucial.

Valverde, looking for his third victory here following wins in 2006 and 2008, is perfectly suited to Liege’s hilly profile but he has the added bonus of having the power to finish off a tough day of climbing with a fast sprint for the line.

Although Italian Davide Rebellin, Australian Cadel Evans and Italian Damiano Cunego will all be looking for way to avoid arriving with the formidable Spaniard in the finale, the Schlecks may have a more convincing argument than most.

Older brother Frank, the Amstel Gold Race winner in 2006, has plenty of experience having finished third the past two years although this year he is set to play a rare supporting role for his 23-year-old sibling.

That means Andy’s chance at winning a famous classic could not come at a better time.

In Wednesday’s Fleche Wallone classic, a hilly 195.5km race that finishes on the punishing ‘Mur’ de Huy, Andy finished second behind an on-form Rebellin.

Although Liege’s climbs are in the same league, none are as difficult as the Mur de Huy, where only a few of the peloton looked anywhere near what could be described as ‘comfortable’, given the hill’s steep 20 percent gradients.

Having Frank on board could also be crucial. Last year the siblings’
potentially explosive combination came to light when Andy attacked on the Roche aux Faucons climb 20km from the finish.

That move put fear into a host of their rivals, especially as it allowed Frank to sit back keeping a tight rein on Valverde, who, to his credit, went on to counter a series of attacks by the Luxemburgers in a thrilling finale and triumph.

Although Valverde and Rebellin could be big threats, they will be wary of the Schlecks.

In the event either triumph, it will be a big day for Luxembourg cycling, their last winner at Liege being Marcel Ernzer in 1954.