Astana’s modest Spanish gun Luis Leon Sanchez throws spotlight on soccer star brother

ASTANA’S Spanish gun Luis Leon Sanchez’s eyes light up when his younger brother Pedro Leon is mentioned. Even with the Tour Down Under looming, the cyclist is keen to talk about the rising soccer star.

CYCLING - Tour Down Under - Astana takes to the streets for a casual ride after arriving last night. Luis-Leon Sanchez. Photo Sarah Reed.

ASTANA’S Spanish gun Luis Leon Sanchez’s eyes light up when his younger brother Pedro Leon is mentioned.

The 2005 Santos Tour Down Under champion’s sibling Pedro Leon is making his mark in Spanish soccer after the winger was signed to the giants of the game Real Madrid in 2010.

Now with Getafe, which is based in central Spain, Pedro Leon, 29, played an important role in his side’s 1-0 win over Real Betis on Sunday.

Luis Leon says he follows soccer closely but was also surprised to learn that SA, apart from being a state known globally for cycling, houses Barcelona legend Guillermo Amor, who is now coaching Adelaide United.

“I’m a big fan of my brother Pedro Leon,’’ Luis Leon said.

“He was a very good young player at Real Madrid and now he is with Getafe and doing very well with that club.

“But I know of Amor, he was a such a great player with Barca and Spain.”

It’s shaping to be a huge year for Luis Leon, with the Rio Olympic Games also a target for the Spaniard.

First, he is lining up for his eighth Santos Tour Down Under start since stunning the entire peloton 11 years ago when he won the GC.

That 2005 Tour peloton included Luis Leon’s former teammate Alberto Contador, who claimed the Willunga stage before winning two Giro D’Italia and three Vuelta a Espana grand tours.

“This is a great race to start the new season,’’ Luis Leon said before taking to the streets on a training ride with his impressive Astana team.

“I was in the south of Spain (before I arrived in Adelaide last week) and the weather for training is very good there.

Pedro Leon, right, of Getafe CF, takes on superstar Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona, with help from Juan Rodriguez. Big brother is very proud. Picture: David Ramos (Getty Images)

“But this weather is much better, and this being the first race of the year, we still don’t know what sort of shape or form I’ll be in for the race.”

Luis Leon had a fine 2015 after claiming four stage wins on the brutal Tour de France since 2008.

Last year Luis Leon — an all-rounder — claimed a brilliant third place in the team time trial at the Giro D’Italia and won the European Games road race in June.

He believes his Astana team, which has Dutchman Lars Boom who finished fourth at last year’s Paris-Roubaix, 2015 Giro teammate Italian Davide Malacarne and Dutchman Lieuwe Westra who finished second after stage 1 of last year’s Tour Down Under, is poised to do some damage to the favourites in SA.

“I think the team here will be competitive,’’ he said.

“The team has a very positive feel and last year (at the Tour Down Under) we had a good race and it left us feeling very confident for the rest of the season.”

However Luis Leon says Australian riders at the Tour Down Under will be the favourites and the ones to mark given most will be fresh from competing at the national cycling championships in Victoria which concluded on Sunday.

“They (Australians) have great motivation because they’re competing at home,’’ Luis Leon said.

“They have many WorldTour riders, but it’s also the first WorldTour race of the season for others and many of us have high expectations.”

Originally published as Astana’s modest Spanish gun Luis Leon Sanchez throws spotlight on soccer star brother