Michael Rasmussen returns to hospital for follow-up

Danish cyclist Michael Rasmussen returned to the hospital in Verona last week to follow-up on a plate that had been inserted in his femur last October following a crash while racing. Doctors removed the screws and metallic support from the 33 year-old, who had to remain in the hospital for three days.

"I went to the hospital last Thursday to have the metal plate removed," he noted on Feltet.dk. It "was inserted last year after my crash at the Giro dell'Emilia. It took a bit longer to recover than expected. They [the doctors - ed.] had underestimated the size of the screws, so there were some internal bleeding. But they have now abated so much that I was able to return home on Monday. I am already walking without crutches and feel the leg becoming stronger each day.

"I thought it was just an ordinary thing they used, but when the wound was to be cleaned for the first time it turned out that there were 20 pins in my leg. They will be removed on Friday. Then we will have to see how everything looks. I count on being able to start training afterwards."

The rider was forced out of the Tour de France this year while wearing the leader's maillot jaune due to questions about his whereabouts during training, and was subsequently fired from Team Rabobank. He is currently without a team for 2008.

"If I start my training in the beginning of November there is plenty of time, especially in the light of the fact that I don't know yet when I am going to ride again."