Schleck on the comeback again at Tour du Haut Var-matin
RadioShack Leopard leader seeking end to early season woes
Andy Schleck will once again make his return to the peloton when he lines-up this weekend at the two-day Tour du Haut Var-matin. The RadioShack Leopard rider has struggled to finish a race so far this year, recording DNF's at the Tour Down Under and barely starting the Tour Méditerranéen. This weekend will mark Schleck's third race of the year with the assumption he has recovered from his "breathing problems" experienced in France.
Schleck appeared to be on the right track at the opening round of the WorldTour in Australia, putting himself in a domestique role and supporting his team throughout the race. He achieved little in terms of results but Schleck was excited to be in Adelaide. "To come here, mentally it was easy, really easy. I was counting the days to come here," he told Cyclingnews.
The final stage should have been a walk in the park for Schleck after battling the tough week of racing but after experiencing a mechanical issue on the fast Adelaide City circuit and getting a bike change, Schleck never regained contact. His first DNF for the year.
A few weeks later and the Tour Méditerranéen should have been the next stepping stone for the official winner of the 2010 Tour de France but he was forced to pull out on what was a relatively standard day.
"This morning I already had breathing problems. Instead of getting better, it just got worse during the race because of the cold and the wind," he had explained on withdrawing after 104km of the opening stage.
The weekend's race will be the next big test for Schleck who is still building up after breaking his sacrum at last year's Critérium du Dauphiné and he will have plenty of experienced riders to help him get through it.
The RadioShack Leopard team for Haut Var-matin: Laurent Didier (Lux), Ben Hermans (Bel), Bob Jungels (Lux), Ben King (USA), Maxime Monfort (Bel), Thomas Rohregger (Aut), Andy Schleck (Lux) and Jens Voigt (Ger).
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