Andy Schleck, runner-up at the last three stagings of the Tour de France, has revealed that he is to start off his 2012 campaign at the Tour of Oman. The race runs from 14-19 February and Schleck feels that it is the ideal starting point for a season where his main target will once again be the Tour de France.

"It's the perfect race, with ideal terrain and weather conditions," the 26-year-old from Luxembourg said on Friday at the launch his newly-merged team RadioShack-Nissan.

It is thought that Schleck will then join his brother Franck at Paris-Nice before focussing on the major Classic races later in the spring, though team boss Johan Bruyneel declared that Schleck's full early season schedule hasn't been completely finalised yet.