Possible broken wrist forces Marchante to abandon

Having injured himself in a fall during stage 16 of the Tour de France, Cervelo rider José Ángel Gómez Marchante was forced to abandon the race during yesterday's queen stage to Le-Grand Bornand. He faces the possibility that his wrist is broken, although he will undergo tests at a team clinic in Switzerland to determine the extent of his injuries.

Marchante crashed on the Col du Grand Saint Bernard while in the break during the 16th stage to Bourg-Saint-Maurice. Despite starting stage 17 it was obvious from the beginning of the day that he would struggle to continue the race.

"From the early part [of the stage] I felt really bad - between the rain and injuries, it was very difficult to control the bike. I have burns on the palms of the hands so braking was impossible, I also found it was very difficult to grab the handlebars, so I decided to leave because it was impossible to continue like this, besides being able to cause another new incident and involve other riders," said Marchante.

He was taken to hospital in the team car for tests during the stage, where the diagnosis is not yet clear. Initial test results point to a possible fracture in the right scaphoid.

"It's a pity to leave the Tour due to this, but the truth is that I can't finish la Grand Boucle and I must start to get over the dint to my morale; I now hope that the results of the tests rule out any fracture and I can prepare for the Vuelta a España."