End of season for Andy Schleck?

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Andy Schleck's plans of possibly coming back to racing at the London Olympics or at the Vuelta a Espana, following a hip fracture which ruled the RadioShack-Nissan rider out of the Tour de France, may be compromised. Luxembourg newspaper Wort.lu, usually well-informed, published information on Friday according to which the healing process of the broken sacral bone of Schleck's pelvis is taking longer than expected.

"The fracture is healing only slowly. As a result, Andy Schleck is still hampered and cannot really strain his body," according to the paper's website.

Following his crash in the Critérium du Dauphiné time trial at the beginning of June, an MRI scan revealed the fracture which put an end to his Tour de France preparations. At the time, orthopaedic surgeon Thorsten Gerich estimated that it would take between four and six weeks for the fracture to heal, and that Schleck would be unable to ride his bike in that period.

But now, the "complete healing of the break could take several months." Schleck's plans for the second half of the season may thus be compromised, and the paper went so far as to saying, "a premature end of season is possible."