Frank Schleck undergoes surgery to have metal plate removed from collarbone

Leopard Trek rider Frank Schleck has undergone successful surgery to have a metal plate removed from his collarbone, inserted following his crash on Stage 3 of the Tour de France last July which left him prostrate on the Paris-Roubaix cobbles the race visited that day.

In a statement, the Luxembourg-based team confirmed that the rider had left a training camp a day early to attend hospital for the procedure, and that he would spend the weekend recovering from it.

“Everything went well, even though it has been a busy couple of days,” Schleck said yesterday. “I left camp on Wednesday evening, though I was able to get a training ride in during the morning and early afternoon. Then with the late night arrival home, I barely had a full night’s sleep before I went into surgery early Thursday morning. But now I have a few days to recover, and will be on my bike again by Sunday.”

The operation was carried out under a general anaesthetic, and Schleck said: “I’m still a bit sleepy from the trip and the anesthesia. But the plate and six screws were removed. I am still in a bit of pain, but that is normal since it is really quite a big effort to get in there to take out all the hardware. By Sunday I should be fine and fully riding a normal routine on Monday.”