Another valuable lieutenant for Armstrong injured in crash
Team RadioShack’s Haimar Zubeldia was caught up in a massive crash near the end of today’s stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné. The team is reporting that Zubeldia has suffered a distal radius fracture to his right wrist as a result of his fall 15 kilometers from the finish.
Only hours after the incident Zubeldia was at the Centre Hospitalier of Voiron in France where he underwent surgery. Doctors inserted a plate in order to stabilize the fracture and speed up the recovery process. The surgery will enable Zubeldia to continue training, but the team is unsure when he will be able to return to competition.
This follows the news last week that Sébastien Rosseler was hit by a car during a training ride resulting in a small avulsion fracture of the dice bone in his left hand. The team will now hope that both riders recover in time for the Tour de France next month, where seven-time Tour winner Lance Armstrong will make his second attempt at an eighth Tour crown.
Both riders were expected be key players on RadioShack’s Tour de France squad. In addition to working for the team on the flats, Rosseler would be Armstrong’s key lieutenant for the cobbled sections during stage three of the race, while Zubeldia would provide valuable support in the mountains.