Vittel, July 17: Lance Armstrong’s teammate Levi Leipheimer withdrew from the Tour de France before Friday’s 13th stage after breaking his wrist in a crash, his Astana team said.
Leipheimer fell off his bike about three kilometers (1.86 miles) from the finish line Thursday, in a crash involving two-time Tour runner-up Cadel Evans.
The American was fourth overall, 39 seconds behind race leader Rinaldo Nocentini of Italy.
“Woke up to bad news. Levi is out with a broken wrist. Damn…,” Armstrong said on his Twitter feed.
Leipheimer had cuts and bruises on his right wrist, shoulder and back, but had initially hoped to resume Friday.
“My wrist hurts, but surprisingly it’s OK. It could have been a lot worse,” Leipheimer said Thursday after the crash. “I was a bit surprised by a left corner … my tire was sliding and I couldn’t quite save my bike from sliding out.”
Leipheimer is a good friend of Armstrong within the Astana team that the Texan has said is riven by “tension” with Spaniard Alberto Contador.
Armstrong is in third place overall, 8 seconds behind Nocentini, who is not regarded as a potential Tour winner. Contador, winner of the 2007 race, is in second place, 2 seconds ahead of Texan.
—-Agencies