No fractures for crash victim Armstrong

Lance Armstrong had good news for his fans yesterday after X-rays revealed he suffered no fractures following a crash in the Tour of California.

Armstrong suffered a cut under his left eye that required eight stitches and a severely bruised left elbow during a crash on the race's fifth stage on Thursday.

The Radio Shack team of the 38-year-old American, who is due to bid for the Tour de France yellow jersey in July, welcomed the news that Armstrong had no further injuries.

Armstrong, who was caught in the eye of a doping storm this week after former team-mate Floyd Landis levelled allegations of doping against his fellow American, said he regretted having to pull out of the race.

"It was a shame to have to abandon early and not be able to help (team-mate) Levi (Leipheimer) to another victory," Armstrong said.

"It was one of those crashes that put a bunch of us down. I tried to give it a go but my eye was swollen so I couldn't see properly and the pain in the elbow prevented me from holding the bars for the remainder of the stage."

Landis was stripped of his 2006 Tour de France title after testing positive for testosterone.

He had long denied doping but on Thursday he went public with confessions of his own cheating and alleged that Armstrong also engaged in systematic doping.

However Armstrong, often accused of doping but who has never tested positive, hit back: "Floyd lost his credibility a long time ago.

"We have nothing to hide. We have nothing to run from."