Lance Armstrong injured

**katluvr** · 03-23-2009, 10:31 AM

That really sucks for him. I am not sure he can make a "comeback" next year! I have enjoyed watching him race...it has been a different Lance.

**papaver** · 03-23-2009, 11:02 AM

It's a bummer for his preparation for the tour and giro, but that doesn't mean he can't ride them this year.

**kermit** · 03-23-2009, 11:03 AM

I gotta say, he will be missed. Hopefully there's a way to surgically fix the break. If not, collarbones are a slow painful heal.

**ttaylor508** · 03-23-2009, 11:07 AM

Apparently it was a bad weekend for celebrities on bikes as Matt Lauer of the Today show hurt his shoulder in a bike accident as well.

http://www.comcast.net/articles/ente.../People.Lauer/

**emily_in_nc** · 03-23-2009, 06:47 PM

On the nat'l news tonight, they reported that is indeed a broken collarbone; he's being flown back to the US for surgery. His trainer says he may be back on the road in a month. Wow! Definitely a bad break for him (pardon the pun) -- my DH broke his collarbone in a cycling accident 11 years ago, and it took him a lot longer than a month to recover (or at least that is what he told me as I took over the lawn-mowing duties all summer!)

Of course, he didn't have surgery, which probably decreases recovery time.

I'll be really disappointed if he doesn't get to ride the Tour...was really looking forward to it.

**Zen** · 03-23-2009, 07:32 PM

Rumor has it it happened when Contador stuck a framepump in Lance's spokes

**Running Mommy** · 03-23-2009, 08:26 PM

ahhhh zen.... love it!

**ny biker** · 03-23-2009, 08:41 PM

I read on velonews.com that racers tend to be back 4-6 weeks after breaking a collarbone.

I think it's amazing that this is the first time he's had this injury. He really did have some good luck during that 7-year streak.

**tantrumbean** · 03-24-2009, 04:05 AM

Originally Posted by Zen

Rumor has it it happened when Contador stuck a framepump in Lance's spokes

**Thorn** · 03-24-2009, 07:16 AM

Originally Posted by Zen

Rumor has it it happened when Contador stuck a framepump in Lance's spokes

I dreaded to read this thread (yes, Lance has done a lot for bicycle racing, but, really, world, there are a lot more cyclists in the peloton--give 'em some press)....but, Zen, your post made my day! Thanks!

**ny biker** · 03-24-2009, 09:25 AM

Apparently he also hit his head and broke his helmet. Ouch.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...=moreheadlines

Anyway, they're saying that he might still race the Giro.

**Jo-n-NY** · 03-24-2009, 05:30 AM

Originally Posted by emily_in_nc

On the nat'l news tonight, they reported that is indeed a broken collarbone; he's being flown back to the US for surgery. His trainer says he may be back on the road in a month. Wow! Definitely a bad break for him (pardon the pun) -- my DH broke his collarbone in a cycling accident 11 years ago, and it took him a lot longer than a month to recover (or at least that is what he told me as I took over the lawn-mowing duties all summer!)

Of course, he didn't have surgery, which probably decreases recovery time.

I'll be really disappointed if he doesn't get to ride the Tour...was really looking forward to it.

When I fractured my shoulder, my orthopedic told me that if I had pins and rods put in the healing time is quicker. However, it can also cause arthritis besides having a foriegn object in me. Although I really wanted a quick recovery because at the time I was training for a organized ride (my dh first and which I told him to do without me

), I chose not to go that route. For Lance, needless to say, he has a better reason for a fast recovery.

Emily, funny about your dh and cutting the lawn lol.

~ JoAnn

**OakLeaf** · 03-24-2009, 05:58 AM

I think the main issue is going to be whether he can tolerate the pain enough to keep his training on track, and I'm guessing that as a cancer survivor, he can.

Functionally, I've had vocational specialists testify many times that the collarbone isn't really important. Mainly, it's just really painful. Professional motorcycle racers ride with broken collarbones pretty often. I've seen a roadracer podium (I believe win his race, but I don't remember) with the surgical incision open and seeping blood.

Now, I know an endurance event is not the same thing as an hour-long motorcycle race - mainly because you can't keep the local anaesthetics coming. But the Tour itself is a long ways off. Professional athletes typically use bone growth stimulators and whatever else they've got these days. Professional athletes never, that I've seen, worry about what arthritis they might have when they get older!

The other thing is that (unlike motorcycle racing) upper-body strength is really secondary for a cyclist. Lance can keep his cardio capacity, leg strength and core strength without stressing the collarbone at all before it's ready. Bottom line, I think he'll be fine - at least I don't really see this injury setting him back very far. The main loss is just the competitive edge from being able to participate in the rest of Castilla & Leon, it seems to me.

I hadn't been following Lance very closely, though. Had he been planning on competing in another event before the Tour?

**papaver** · 03-24-2009, 06:21 AM

Originally Posted by OakLeaf

I hadn't been following Lance very closely, though. Had he been planning on competing in another event before the Tour?

Yes, the Giro...

**ny biker** · 03-24-2009, 07:11 AM

Originally Posted by OakLeaf

I think the main issue is going to be whether he can tolerate the pain enough to keep his training on track, and I'm guessing that as a cancer survivor, he can.

I think his ability to tolerate pain has been one of the reasons he's been so successful. He has actually said that he enjoys the suffering of long distance bike racing.

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