Andy Schleck retired for his own good at the end of the season, but he has now said that he is missing cycling as brother Frank is on the Trek Factory Racing team camp.

“The doctors told me that I would need a new knee by the time I was 35,” Schleck told Le Quotidien during an interview at his home in Mondorf. “It all scared me. That's what I said in my press conference to announce the end of my career. But now I miss it.”

He suffered another horror crash at the Tour de France and no team would take the risk on the 2010 Tour de France winner, leaving him without a team, so he decided to retire on top and preserve his health.

“Yes, I miss it. I won't hide it," Schleck said. "At the moment, Frank is training with the team, which makes it more difficult. But I am very active. I don't just sit on my couch. There is plenty to do in life. For a month, I was down, really down, but I woke up. I'm not working yet, really, but I'm busier than before. I am trying to make a schedule for next year. I am happy and I am super motivated for my next job. But don't ask me what it is, I can't reveal it yet.”

Schleck is still working with physios to help repair the damage in his knee, but it is a long process. He had just returned from the gym, where he was working to stabilize his knee along with strengthening his back and arms. He also told Le Quotidien he has taken up roller-skiing and hopes to eventually get back on the bike. Despite his activities, he said, he has gained four or five kilos.