LEIPHEIMER CRASHES OUT

Levi Leipheimer has been forced to abandon the Tour de France after breaking his wrist in a crash on stage 12 of the race on Thursday.

Cyclingnews spoke to an Astana’s press officer, Phillipe Maertens, who confirmed that Leipheimer would not start stage 13 on Friday.

“He wasn’t too bad last night but this morning, the pain was too much,” he said. We took him to the hospital in Vittel, where scans revealed a transversal fracture of the scaphoid bone of the wrist. He is still in hospital now. He will certainly want to go home as soon as possible, but we haven’t organised a flight yet.”

Leipheimer sustained the injury in a crash 2.5 kilometres from the finish of stage 12 into Vittel. The Astana rider, who was in fourth place on GC, described the incident after completing the stage. “I was a bit surprised by a left corner and my tire was sliding. I couldn’t quite save my bike from sliding out…so I slid out and hit the curb.”