Loda not sure for Tour

Liquigas-Bianchi rider Nicola Loda is unsure as to his further racing schedule after a crash in the Dauphiné Libéré on Monday. In the first stage of the French stage race from Aix-les-Bains to Givors, the Italian tried not to run over other crashed riders and subsequently went off the road with 11 km to go. After examinations in the hospital of Saint Etienne, a lesion in his left calf muscle near the tendon was diagnosed.

Loda will undergo further tests in Italy tomorrow. "I hope to be able to ride again on Sunday," he said. "If my recovery is longer, my presence in the Tour de France will be definitely compromised."