Trek Factory rider Andy Schleck has been forced to retire from professional cycling at the age of 29.
Schleck, the official 2010 Tour De France winner, has succumbed to a knee injury made worse by the crash he sustained in the third stage of the Tour De France and said at a press conference in his home town of Mondorf-les-Bains, Luxembourg: "I'm obviously disappointed to end my career like this.
"Cycling has been my life for many years and I will need time to figure out what I'd like to do (next). I'm excited to find out what lies ahead.
"I would have liked to keep on fighting but my knee just doesn't allow it.
"Since my crash in the UK there has hardly been any progress. While the ligaments have healed, the damaged cartilage is another story.
"I have been working hard on rehabbing the knee but came to the hard realisation that at the risk of irreversibly injuring it, this is the best course of action."