The young Luxembourger’s career has been forced to an untimely end by a combination of the knee injury he sustained in a Tour de France crash earlier this year and lack of noteworthy results in recent seasons.

"I’m obviously disappointed to end my career like this," Schleck explained at a press conference in Luxembourg earlier today. "I would have liked to keep on fighting, but my knee just doesn’t allow it. Since my crash in the United Kingdom there has hardly been any progress. While the ligaments have healed, the damaged cartilage is another story. I have been working hard on rehabilitating the knee, but came to the hard realization that facing the risk of irreversibly injuring it, this is the best course of action."

In his career, Schleck rode to victory in some of cycling’s biggest races, stepping four times onto Grand Tour podiums. Among his many notable accomplishments, Schleck won the 2010 Tour de France and triumphed in the 2009 Liège-Bastogne-Liège following a courageous solo breakaway. Schleck himself highlights his win on the Galibier stage of the 2011 Tour de France as one of his most memorable achievements.

Though only 29 years old, Schleck has made a significant impact on the road cycling sport and his presence in the professional peloton will be missed by many fans and colleagues.

At a difficult time in his life, Schleck is trying to maintain a positive focus. "Cycling has been my life for many years and I will need time to figure out what I’d like to do. Luckily I can count on my family, friends, and Trek who have always supported me," he explained. "I'm very happy to have trained and raced alongside my brother (Frank Schleck) and to have made some of the best friends that I have while racing. I have always said that cycling is not the beginning and the end of my life. I have a wonderful girlfriend and a wonderful son. I’m excited to find out what lies ahead."