Baumann successfully operated on

T-Mobile sprinter Eric Baumann is already hopping around on crutches in his hospital room after a successful operation Wednesday to set the broken tibia and fibula he suffered last week in the Volta a Algarve. "He's doing very well under the circumstances," said team doctor Lothar Heinrich, which Baumann himself confirms. "I'm doing a lot better, if you can say that, at least now only two days after the surgery I can hobble alone to the bathroom on my crutches."

The sprinter is not feeling lonely in the hospital. He has had visits not only from teammates but also from D.S. Frans van Looy and team bus driver Bert Tolhoek, who stopped by on their way home from Portugal.

Baumann is already receiving physiotherapy and is scheduled to leave the hospital next week. He doesn't know when he will ride again, but wants it to be "as soon as possible."