Andy Schleck has due to “shooting pains” from a back injury that he suffered last year. The 27-year-old Radioshack Nissan rider had been scheduled to race in Sunday’s GP Fourmies before pulling out. “It makes no sense to appear at races where I might not be able to even reach the finish line,” he said. Schleck hasn’t raced since this year’s Crit茅rium du Dauphin茅, when he fractured his sacrum in a crash during the event’s time trial. Schleck says he will now focus on building up fitness for the 2013 season, though he still holds out hope of returning before the end of 2012.
Via