Lance Armstrong Crashes during opening stage of the Vuelta a Castilla y León

Lance Armstrong crashed hard in Monday’s opening stage of the Vuelta a Castilla y León and was transported by ambulance to a hospital in nearby Palencia, Spain.

The crash occurred on a narrow road as the peloton was ramping up its speed to reel in two attacking riders with about 20km to go in the 168.3km first stage from Parades de Nava to Baltanás in northern Spain.
Race organizers and the Astana team doctor confirmed that the seven-time Tour de France champion had broken his right collarbone.
Astana team leader Johan Bruyneel said on his Twitter feed there were no complications in the break, and suggested Armstrong could be riding soon. "Clean collarbone fracture," Bruyneel said. "Should be fast recovery." The injury typically takes between a month and six weeks to heal fully.

"I've never had this happen before; it's pretty painful," said Lance as he left the hospital. "I feel really miserable."

After falling off his bike, Armstrong sat in the grass beside the road, his right shoulder slumped and his wrist resting on his right thigh. When help arrived, he motioned toward his right shoulder. Armstrong eventually walked to the ambulance and climbed into the back.

So what about the Tour de France? "We are confident he can still race the Tour de France, of course. He will be off the bike, but he can still do condition training." said Astana spokesman Philippe Maertens.

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Video Footage of Crash