Leipheimer start at California still up in the air
- By Andrew Hood
- Published May. 3, 2012
- Updated May. 10, 2012 at 3:51 PM EDT
Levi Leipheimer still is unsure whether he will be able to start the Amgen Tour of California later this month.
The three-time California champion was run over by a Spanish motorist in a horrific accident while training on his bike a day ahead of the Vuelta al País Vasco in early April.
Leipheimer avoided life-threatening injury, but was left with a fractured fibula in his left leg.
Omega Pharma-Quick Step officials confirmed Friday that Leipheimer is still not “100 percent.”
One-on-one Post-crash Interview >>
“There’s still pain in my leg,” Leipheimer said in a team statement. “There’s soreness when I try and apply a little more force or get out of the saddle. I can still train, but it is not easy. I’m not sure about my participation in Tour of California at this point.”
According to a team release, officials will continue to monitor Leipheimer’s condition in the next days, and will determine whether he is healthy enough to make the final selection.
Leipheimer wrote on his Twitter page that he returned to training on April 20, writing: “Tried riding today, didn’t go as well as I’d hoped, but will keep trying.”
The Amgen Tour of California starts May 13 in Leipheimer’s adopted hometown of Santa Rosa.
FILED UNDER: Amgen Tour of California / News / Road TAGS: Levi Leipheimer
Andrew Hood
Andrew Hood cut his journalistic teeth at Colorado dailies before the web boom opened the door to European cycling in the mid-1990s. Hood has covered every Tour de France since 1996 and has been VeloNews' European correspondent since 2002.