Käss sees early season setback

Team ALB Gold's Jochen Käss got his season off to a rough start with a broken middle finger of his right hand. Käss crashed on a bridge while training last week and was scheduled to undergo an operation Monday.

His team called the bridge "harmless" and said the rider had already traversed it many times, but a morning rain made the wood slick. "I rode carefully, too, because timber bridges in the forest are always somewhat malicious," said Käss. "But everything happened rather fast. My front wheel slipped away and I hit my hand on the railing."

"I thought nothing had happened except bruising my shoulder, but in the hospital, I confirmed the break," said Käss, who hoped to resume training later this week. He suffered a similar setback during his preparation for the 2004 Olympic season when he broke his collarbone.