X-rays at the General Hospital of Cecina revealed Saturday morning that World Champion Paolo Bettini (Quick Step) sustained a sustain a fracture during his crash earlier this week. The Quick Step rider crashed on a wet descent in the fourth stage of the Vuelta al País Vasco on Thursday, and was forced to pull out of the race after he attempted to race a further 20km. In addition to a severely bruised hip, Bettini fractured his eighth left rib.
"Yesterday, I was pretty sure that my left hip was broken," he said. "I suffered a lot in these two days, I have pain everywhere, but today I’m a little bit more optimistic. Last year I rode more then two weeks at the Giro with a broken rib; I've got the habit."
