London - AFP
Amercian Chris Horner is out of the Tour de France after fracturing his nose and suffering heavy brusing in a crash on the seventh stage, his RadioShack team said Saturday. Horner, 39, crashed 35km from the finish line of Friday's 218km stage, which he finished in last place at 12min 41sec behind stage winner Mark Cavendish. "Chris is better, the scans he has undergone are reassuring," team manager Johan Bruyneel of the Tour of California winner who spent the night in hospital for observation. Horner was one of the four leaders of Lance Armstrong's former team along with Slovenian Janez Brajkovic, who quit the Tour on Wednesday, American Levi Leipheimer, who lost valuable time because of Friday's falls, and German Andreas Kloden, fifth in the overall standings.