ARMSTRONG HASN’T RULED OUT RACING IN TOUR DE FRANCE
AUSTIN, Texas — Lance Armstrong on Tuesday said racing in the Giro d’Italia in May is still “very doable” even though his broken collarbone is more serious than first thought, with tests showing “multiple pieces” of broken bone.
His chances of competing in the Tour de France in July are better.
“In theory, there’s no reason why he won’t be at the Tour de France,” Astana spokesman Philippe Maertens said. “It’s a 95 percent chance.”
Armstrong, who crashed Monday in the first stage of the Vuelta of Castilla and Leon race in northern Spain, will have surgery today, and a metal plate will be inserted to stabilize his collarbone. He said he must rest at least 72 hours before he can return to a training bike.
Astana’s Levi Leipheimer won the 17-mile second stage of the Vuelta, beating teammate Alberto Contador by 16 seconds.
David Zabriskie of Boulder- based Garmin-Slipstream was third. Leipheimer leads Contador in the overall standings by 16 seconds.
Clijsters sought Open wild card
WASHINGTON — Former No. 1-ranked tennis player Kim Clijsters asked the U.S. Open about receiving a wild card for this year’s tournament as part of her comeback plans.
The 25-year-old Clijsters, who retired in 2007 and gave birth to a child last year, will hold a news conference Thursday in Belgium to announce her 2009 plans.
The U.S. Open begins Aug. 31 in New York.
• Larry Scott will become the Pac-10 Conference commissioner July 1 after six years as chairman and chief executive officer of the WTA Tour.
Indy 500 racer Ruby dies
WICHITA FALLS, Texas — Lloyd Ruby, who raced in the Indianapolis 500 for 18 years and won the 24 Hours at Daytona in 1966, died Monday. He was 81.
Ruby’s best finish at Indy was third in 1964. He was inducted into the Indianapolis 500 Hall of Fame in 1991.
Former champion Macias dies
MEXICO CITY — Former world bantamweight champion Raul Macias died of cancer Monday at age 74.
Known by the nickname “Mouse,” Macias retired in 1962 at age 28 with a professional record of 41-2, with 25 knockouts.
• Manny Pacquiao has been voted fighter of the year by the Boxing Writers Association of America after a dominating victory over Oscar De La Hoya. Joe Calzaghe was runner-up, but voted manager of the year for guiding his own career. The undefeated former super middleweight champion recently retired.
Footnotes.
Houston quarterback Blake Joseph has decided not to return for his final year of eligibility.
• A 2-month-old is back in the arms of her parents, and the wife of Pittsburgh Pirates minor-league prospect Jose Tabata is suspected of taking the infant from a health clinic outside Tampa, Fla. Amalia Tabata Pereira, 43, was being questioned by Florida detectives.
• A sixth dog in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race died. Race officials said the dog, a 2-year-old female name Cirque on Alan Peck‘s team, died during a flight from Shaktoolik to Nome. The Associated Press
