Virenque injured in crash
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ByEurosport
Published 13/08/2006 at 11:04 GMT
Seven-time polka-dot jersey at the Tour de France Richard Virenque was hospitalised on Friday after crashing in the French Alps. The Frenchman was racing in an amateur contest in the Alps when he broke his nose and badly injured his face.
CYCLING Richard Virenque
Image credit: Imago
The former mountain-goat needed 32 stitches and plans to undergo cosmetic surgery next week.
"The fork of the bicycle suddenly snapped, and as a result, Richard fell on his face," Virenque's wife Stéphanie told the AFP.
"He has been placed on a morphine drip," but has remained conscious the entire time since the accident, she continued.
The crash took place in the Alpine town of Méribel during a four-kilometre individual time trial at the five-day l'Alpes Open Tour.
The former Festina climber, who was involved in the team's 1998 drug scandal before returning to the Tour to collect a record number of victories in the mountain classification, is now a consultant for Eurosport.
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