Confirmed: Schleck to miss Tour

No 2012 Tour for Andy?

Luxembourg's RTL broadcaster carried a report this morning stating that Andy Schleck will not take part in this year's Tour de France due to a spinal injury suffered at the Criterium du Dauphine last week. There have been widespread doubts about the Luxembourger's form in the run up to the Tour, following poor performances in the Classics and his decision to abandon first Paris-Nice and then the Volta a Catalunya - leading to rumoured ruptions with team boss Johan Bruyneel.

RadioShack-Nissan conducted a press conference at 16:00CEST today, which many took as confirmation that the story was true as soon as it was announced. Andy, accompanied by a team doctor and Bruyneel, explains that he has a fractured pelvis and will not be able to cycle for four to six weeks, ruling him out of the Tour which begins on the 30th of June. He may have recovered in time for the Vuelta - in which case, a head-to-head battle with a returning Alberto Contador could make it the most fascinating of the 2012 Grand Tours.

Schleck had previously explained his decision to abandon the Dauphine as being down to the worst pain he has ever suffered. "Already in the first two hundred meters I had pain in the right leg and the lower back," he told reporters shortly after abandoning. "It just got worse. I've never suffered like that in a race. I couldn’t use my right leg any more. I had no other option than to quit the race."