Armstrong held back by broken collarbone
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AFP
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mart 25, 2009 00:00
BALTANAS, Spain - American cycling legend Lance Armstrong suffered a broken collarbone during an event in Spain on Monday, an injury that threatens to disrupt his bid to win a record eighth Tour de France title this summer.
The 37-year-old fell along with several other riders about 20 kilometers from the finish line of the first stage of the Tour of Castilla y Leon in central Spain. He was then seen clutching his arm sitting on the grass after taking his helmet off.
"Lance Armstrong suffered a break in the middle of his right collarbone," the race organisers said in a statement after the rider underwent an X-ray at a hospital in the city of Valladolid. "After receiving medical attention and treatment for pain, Armstrong left the hospital this afternoon."
The rider said he was devastated over the accident, which places a serious question mark about him competing in the Giro d'Italia in June. "I am very disappointed. Very. Especially for the Giro," said Armstrong.
"Now the biggest problem is the pain. It hurts. We will see. The guys in the hospital in Valladolid were great and very nice and helpful. But now I feel miserable. I need to relax a couple of days, fix the problem and make a plan. I hope I can tell you more about the Giro in a week."
He nodded his head when asked if he would return to the United States.
"It could have been worse, I suppose," he said. "I never had this before. It is pretty painful. Now we must have to see how it heals."
Armstrong, a cancer survivor who went on to claim a record seven Tour de France crowns, ended a three-and-a-half year retirement at the Tour Down Under in Australia in January. He declared his goal this year is to win an eighth Tour de France title in July, and had hoped to use the Castilla y Leon race as part of his preparations.
Armstrong told reporters his participation in the Giro d'Italia in May "will be very complicated", an indication that he hopes to compete in the Tour de France in July.
The manager of his Astana team, Johan Bruyneel, said the injury was "a clean fracture without complications" and he should make a "fast recovery."
"Lance Armstrong suffered a break in the middle of his right collarbone," the race organisers said in a statement after the rider underwent an X-ray at a hospital in the city of Valladolid. "After receiving medical attention and treatment for pain, Armstrong left the hospital this afternoon."
The rider said he was devastated over the accident, which places a serious question mark about him competing in the Giro d'Italia in June. "I am very disappointed. Very. Especially for the Giro," said Armstrong.
"Now the biggest problem is the pain. It hurts. We will see. The guys in the hospital in Valladolid were great and very nice and helpful. But now I feel miserable. I need to relax a couple of days, fix the problem and make a plan. I hope I can tell you more about the Giro in a week."
He nodded his head when asked if he would return to the United States.
"It could have been worse, I suppose," he said. "I never had this before. It is pretty painful. Now we must have to see how it heals."
Armstrong, a cancer survivor who went on to claim a record seven Tour de France crowns, ended a three-and-a-half year retirement at the Tour Down Under in Australia in January. He declared his goal this year is to win an eighth Tour de France title in July, and had hoped to use the Castilla y Leon race as part of his preparations.
Armstrong told reporters his participation in the Giro d'Italia in May "will be very complicated", an indication that he hopes to compete in the Tour de France in July.
The manager of his Astana team, Johan Bruyneel, said the injury was "a clean fracture without complications" and he should make a "fast recovery."