Having gone under the knife yesterday to remove a plate from the collarbone he smashed during the Tour de France, Frank Schleck reports that he is recovering fine and expects to return to training in two day’s time.
The Leopard Trek rider left the team training camp a day early in order to have the surgical procedure done. There were no complications and he returned home yesterday, a little tender and groggy, but otherwise fine.
“Everything went well, even though it has been a busy couple of days,” he stated. “I left camp on Wednesday evening, though I was able to get a training ride in during the morning and early afternoon. Then with the late night arrival home, I barely had a full night’s sleep before I went into surgery early Thursday morning. But now I have a few days to recover, and will be on my bike again by Sunday.”
The plan between now and then is to let his body recover from the sedation he was given, plus the operation itself. “I’m still a bit sleepy from the trip and the anaesthesia,” he explained. “But the plate and six screws were removed. I am still in a bit of pain, but that is normal since it is really quite a big effort to get in there to take out all the hardware. By Sunday I should be fine and fully riding a normal routine on Monday.”
Schleck’s crash came on the Sars-et Rosieres cobbled sector with 28 kilometres to go. Stage three to Arenberg Porte du Hainaut included many of the cobblestone sections normally used for Paris-Roubaix, increasing the spectacle of the stage but so too the danger.
The Luxembourg rider had started the race as one of the big favourites, having highlighted his strong form and improving time trial abilities when he won the Tour of Switzerland. His brother Andy went on to finish second in the race, and both said afterwards that he would have won had the elder not crashed out.
The two brothers and Classics winner Fabian Cancellara are the strongest of those who moved from Saxo Bank to Leopard Trek. They have pinpointed victory in this year’s Tour as the big focus for the season.