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Lance Armstrong's bid for an eighth win at the Tour de France may be over before it even started. Lance broke his collarbone in a hard fall during the first stage of a race in Spain yesterday.

Lance was racing in the Vuelta Ciclista Castilla y Leon race in northern Spain when he crashed 16 km from the finish line. Though the crash also took down 15 - 20 other cyclists, Armstrong was the only one seriously hurt.
There was no drama or foul play and Lance isn't pointing any fingers (although his teammate said the condition of the road was "pretty bad, super-rough and narrow" where the accident occurred.)


"That's cycling," said Armstrong. "It's nobody's fault. Crashes happen all the time. Toward the end of the race people started getting excited, a bit of wind, some hills and everybody wanting to be at the front,” he said. “A couple of guys crashed in front of me, I crossed my wheel, then I hit them and over the top.”

What a disappointment for Lance and for all the cycling fans who were looking forward to watching him ride this year. He'll definitely miss the upcoming Giro d'Italia race in May and may very well miss the Tour de France (although that's pure speculation at this point).

On his Twitter page, Lance is reporting that he'll be having surgery in a couple of days - and that it's "hard to tweet left-handed."

"I'm miserable," he said. "I just need to relax a couple of days and then make a plan. “The crash has put my upcoming race calendar in jeopardy, but the most important thing for me right now is to get back home and rest up and begin my rehab.”

I don't know how long a broken collarbone takes to heal, but I've heard it's incredibly painful. His Astana teammates are holding out hope, but do you think Lance will be able to race in the Tour de France?

UPDATE: It took a metal plate and 12 screws to mend his collarbone, but Lance came out of surgery yesterday determined to race in both the Giro d'Italia AND the Tour de France. Doctors say his collarbone will take 8 to 12 weeks to heal but that he can ride before then. Lance is determined to be back on a bike within a week.

“I think the Giro is still very doable,” said Lance. “This is definitely a setback, no doubt. It’s the biggest setback I’ve ever had in my cycling career, so it’s a new experience for me.”

If anyone knows about overcoming setbacks, it's Lance Armstrong.