Frank Schleck’s aim of contesting the big end of season one-day races including the Giro di Lombardia has been dashed due to lingering issues after his crash in Sunday’s world road race championships in Copenhagen.
The Leopard Trek rider came down midway through the race and was forced to withdraw as a result. “The crash happened in the front of the peloton. At first, I thought I would be able to avoid hitting the asphalt, but riders came sliding in from behind and took me down,” he said. “I immediately felt a harsh pain in my right hand and had to abandon the race.”
He had hoped that his recovery would be a quick one, allowing him to get back on course vis-à-vis his end of season plans. However subsequent checkups have shown that the injuries are more serious than he initially thought. While there is no long-term risk, the disruption to his schedule means that he has opted to end his season.
“A first scan of the right hand showed that it was not broken, but heavily bruised,” stated his Leopard-Trek team in a release. “Because Schleck’s left knee started swelling as well, another MRI-scan on Tuesday was needed. This scan showed a contusion of the knee, with a lot fluid around the ligaments. The team’s head doctor advised a minimum of ten days off the bike.”
His brother Andy had already brought his season to a close due to a tooth problem and subsequent dental infection.
Both riders had hoped to perform strongly in the Giro di Lombardia which, along with Liège-Bastogne-Liège, is the Classic which most suits Grand Tour contenders.
The elder Schleck has had a strong season, winning a stage plus the overall in the Critérium International, netting second in Liège-Bastogne-Liège and third overall in the Tour de France. He was also sixth in the Clásica de San Sebastián and seventh in both Flèche Wallonne and the Tour de Suisse.