Former Tour de France champion Andy Schleck has confirmed he is to retire from cycling.

The 29-year-old has struggled for form since a crash in 2012 which left him with a broken pelvis but looked to improving before a crash in this year's Tour.

That left him with a serious knee injury, which both Schleck and his team, Trek Factory Racing, cited as the reason for his untimely departure from the sport.

The Luxembourger finished on the Tour de France podium three times in succession between 2009 and 2011. He originally finished second in 2010 but was awarded the overall victory after the original winner Alberto Contador tested positive for a banned substance.

Racing with his brother Frank, Schleck was one of the stalwarts of the Trek team, having been part of the setup since 2011. 

Alongside his Tour de France win, he also won Liége-Bastogne-Liége in 2009, and in the same year became the national road race champion of Luxembourg.

“I’m obviously disappointed to end my career like this,” said Schleck. 

“I would have liked to keep on fighting but my knee just doesn’t allow it. Since my crash in the UK there has hardly been any progress. 

"While the ligaments have healed, the damaged cartilage is another story. I have been working hard on rehabbing the knee but came to the hard realization that at the risk of irreversibly injuring it, this is the best course of action.

“Cycling has been my life for many years and I will need time to figure out what I’d like to do. Luckily I can count on my family, friends, and Trek who have always supported me,” he continued.

"I am very happy to have trained and raced alongside my brother and to have made some of the best friends that I have.

"I have always said that cycling is not the beginning and the end of my life. I have a wonderful girlfriend and a wonderful son. I’m excited to find out what lies ahead.”

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About the author
Jamie Hall
Cycling editor and football writer. Currently studying sports journalism at university.