Lance Armstrong breaks collarbone
Lance Armstrong, the seven-time winner of the Tour de France, broke his right collarbone Monday in a crash during a race in Spain, adding a major but most likely surmountable obstacle to his preparation for the Tour in July.
Armstrong, in his first season after taking three and a half years off from the sport, may also miss the Giro d’Italia, the second-biggest race on his schedule, because it is held in May.
Johan Bruyneel, the director of Armstrong’s Astana team, wrote on his Twitter page that the injury was a “clean collarbone fracture without complications. Should be fast recovery.”
But Armstrong, as he exited Valladolid University Hospital in Spain, was less optimistic. He said, according to The Associated Press, that he was headed to the United States to meet with doctors who will decide if he needs surgery. He has several months to recover before the Tour begins on July 4. The Giro begins on May 9.
“I think for the Tour it’s a very big problem,” he told reporters.
He added: “I’ve never had this happen before; it’s pretty painful. I feel really miserable.”
Armstrong and at least a dozen other riders tumbled from their bikes during the opening stage of Monday’s race. Afterward, Armstrong sat on the roadside before an ambulance transported him to the hospital for X-rays.
The race was Armstrong’s second competition in Europe after returning to the sport this season. He raced in the one-day Milan-San Remo on Saturday, finishing 125th.
But this week’s five-day race in Spain was more than just any stage race. It was Armstrong’s first competition alongside his teammate Alberto Contador, the winner of the 2007 Tour, as the two men vie to be the lead rider come the Tour de France.
Armstrong’s injury, if severe enough, could answer the question of which rider will be the team’s No. 1 at the Tour. While Armstrong may make it back for the race, his training will be hindered, without a doubt. The amount of time he needs to recover will depend on the severity of his injury.
Team Garmin-Slipstream’s David Millar, the former world time trial champion, broke his collarbone in the final stage of the Paris-Nice race. His joint had been broken in at least two pieces and the ligament had been torn off the bone.
Millar will be out for at least four weeks after having surgery on the collarbone last Thursday. He said he would resume training indoors as early as next week.
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading ...
