Garmin’s Farrar hanging in with broken wrist at Tour

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Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Transitions) started stage three with a broken wrist and several other injuries, notably to his knee, which he sustained in crashing on the slippery roads of the Belgian Ardennes on Monday. The American would have had good reason to call it quits, but decided to continue the race in the hope of better days.

On Tuesday, Farrar made it through stage three of the race from Wanze to Arenberg over the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix, finishing 6:28 minutes adrift of stage winner and fellow sprinter Thor Hushovd (Cervélo), and he was a happy man as he crossed the line.

"Certainly wasn't fun today for me," he told Cyclingnews. "But I survived, and it actually wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I was able to ride. But it definitely hurt all day."

While riding his own race, Farrar had a thought about his chances had he not been injured. "It was a pity as this was a stage that I thought I could try and win a week ago. And now I was just trying to finish it,” he said. “Once we hit the cobblestones I just sat up and tried to ride my own line and stay out of the way of those who were really racing."

With three probable sprint finishes coming up over the next few days at the Tour, starting with today's stage to Reims, the American will have to step back from the action a little longer because of the extent of his injuries. "I still don't know if I'll be able to sprint yet. I barely survived [Tuesday],” he said. "I'm taking it one day at the time. I hope to be able to sprint again by the second week of racing. I think I'll need a few more days to let the swelling go down and everything, before being competitive again."