Following weeks of speculations about his form and seriousness after a string of early withdrawals from numerous races Andy Schleck has spoken out in an interview with French newspaper Le Quotidien in which he speaks about the difficult period he has experienced since sustaining an injury in 2012.

“Finally I have come out of the tunnel,” the RadioShack-Leopard rider told the newspaper, “and I’ve left the past behind me. I prefer to focus my attention on the positive things surrounding me and fortunately there are plenty of those. There was a time when I was blind to them but now I see them clearly.”

“During the Vuelta al País Vasco I began to notice certain improvements and I felt good in the saddle. As of yet I do not know when I’ll be able to return to my true level, whether it will occur this year or next. It’s going to be a long road back and I’ll just have to take it step by step.

Looking back I made a mistake by wanting to train with a fractured sacrum. That decision was detrimental to my recovery.”

Regarding the Ardennes Classics, Schleck plays down any expectations of him being able to compete for the honours before going on to outline his race schedule.

“My teammates know that I can’t win any of these races and that I’m in the middle of a process of returning to my best level. After the Ardennes Classics I will be taking part in the Tour of California and then I’ll go on an inspection tour in the Alps and the Pyrenees to study the routes for the mountain stages of the Tour de France. Afterwards I’ll be in the Tour of Switzerland, the Luxembourg road championships and eventually the Tour de France.”

Schleck crashed during the stage 4 individual time trial in last year’s Criterium du Dauphiné and has struggled to regain his peak form since.