Verbrugghe's season finished

Rik Verbrugghe will have to rest for a full six months after breaking his femur in a bad crash during today's 14th stage to Gap. The break was a complex one, and Verbrugghe had to undergo an operation on Sunday evening in Gap. He will be transferred to another hospital in a few days.

Verbrugghe, who won a stage in the Giro this year, only last week signed a contract with Cofidis until 2008. "His accident changes nothing," said team manager Eric Boyer, who said that the team would honour the deal.