X-rays confirmed the fracture and at the moment it's not believed that surgery will be necessary. Leipheimer, at home in Santa Rosa, California, will need to respect a period of absolute rest for two weeks and at that time more information on his recovery time will be announced.
"After the crash, I understood immediately something was wrong when there was swelling, and I couldn't bear weight on that side," said Leipheimer. "Now I need to stay calm and recover as fast as possible to try to be competitive for the Amgen Tour of California. I am really disappointed, but the real victory here is that I survived the collision and that I'm alive to meet that challenge at all.
"It's amazing that all I did was break my fibula. I was in a panic state after [the collision] happened; I couldn't calm down. I can't communicate how close I came to being killed and that was incredibly scary. More than anything, I'm really grateful for the chance to come back from this injury. This could be a good thing for me in events like the Tour de France and the 2012 London Olympics. While the Tour of California will be more of a challenge for me now, I still have my sights set squarely on a win again this year."
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