Tuesday, July 04, 2006
O'Grady in doubt
CSC's Australian sprinter Stuart O'Grady trailed in slowly by himself today, arriving at the finish line 11:35 behind the stage winner, raising speculation that he was injured in his crash that occurred at 9 or 10 km to go. A post-race CAT-scan revealed that he had a small fracture of his fourth thoracic vertebrae. It's possible that he can continue in the Tour, but clearly he will be in some considerable pain.O'Grady has had a stellar record in the Tour, recently placing 2nd in the sprinter's competition for the green jersey in 2005, and winning a stage in 2004.
Update: He's still riding! At the start of Stage 4 on Wednesday: "Stuart O’Grady (CSC) is one rider who had to visit the hospital for x-rays after slamming into a lightpost near the end of the stage to Valkenburg but he’s still in the peloton for the moment." 172 riders began Stage 4.
Update 2: He reportedly rode well in Stage 4 and finished the day.
