Andy Schleck Fractures his Tailbone Out of the Tour de France 2012

I was so excited expecting to see Andy Schleck to compete furiously this year in the Tour de France, and I was looking forward to see him in the podium, that is why I am not happy reporting this news. He will be okay, even though he is in pain now he will make it through, he is a tough cyclist and I know he will recover promptly.

Last Wednesday Andy Schleck listened to his orthopedic doctor on the outskirts of Luxembourg City, his hometown, explained to the media representatives that his patient (Andy) had suffered a fractured bone, the sacrum (The sacrum is at the bottom of the spine and lies between the fifth lumbar segment and the coccyx. The sacrum is a triangular-shaped bone and consists of five segments (S1 – S5) that are fused together)

The injury occurred in a crash during the Critérium du Dauphiné last week, a traditional weeklong tune-up for the Tour de France, but it went undiagnosed until this week. This accident will make Andy Schleck, who rides for Radioshack-Nissan-Trek, to skip this year’s Tour de France, which begins June 30 in Liège, Belgium.

“You keep hoping it is getting better,” Schleck said about his injury. “But when they told me the bad news, the world fell apart: I’m not going to be the winner of the 2012 Tour, I’m not even going to be in the race.”

Being thin and light can be a disadvantage in cycling. During the Dauphiné’s individual time trial last Thursday, a gust of wind-swept Schleck off his bike. He hit the ground and fractured his sacrum, a bone that connects the pelvis to the lower back. Though he finished the stage, the pain forced him out of the race two days later.

“The second day I couldn’t stand the pain anymore and had to get off the bike,” he said. “I’ve broken my collarbone two times, but this is by far the most painful injury I’ve had.”

Though Schleck is expected to return to action in time for the Olympic road race July 28, this is a devastating setback in what has already been a disappointing season for the Luxemburger.