Armstrong crashed during the Tour of California on Thursday, sending him
to the hospital for precautionary X-rays on the day he was accused of
doping by former teammate Floyd Landis.
The cyclists were on a two-lane
road outside Visalia a few miles into the race when a rider in the main
group skidded on some gravel and fell, causing others, including
Armstrong, to crash. Armstrong resumed riding but had to quit the race
because of his injuries.
"I tried to give it a go but my
eye was swollen so I couldn't see properly and the pain in the elbow
prevented me from holding the bars for the remainder of the stage,"
Armstrong said. "It was a relief to learn there were no breaks. I will
take a few days to recover and be on the bike as soon as possible."
Michael Rogers of Australia moved
into the overall lead with his second-place finish in the 121.5-mile
fifth stage that ran from Visalia to Bakersfield. Dave Zabriskie was
third in the stage and second overall.
"Obviously, I woke up this
morning and heard the news like everybody else did," Rogers said of
Landis' accusations. "I came here to win this race, and that's what I
concentrated on during the race. I didn't think of anything else but."
Levi Leipheimer, the three-time
defending race titlist, is third in the standings, trailing by 10
seconds. Armstrong's Radio Shack teammate also was accused by Landis of
doping.
Peter Sagan of Slovakia won the
stage in 4 hours, 52 minutes and 58 seconds, and is fourth, 15 seconds
back.
Team spokesman Philippe Maertens
said Armstrong was evaluated in the team bus by doctors who gave him
eight stitches below his left eye. Armstrong then was taken to
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital for precautionary X-rays, which were
negative.