Perdiguero volte-face

On Tuesday, Perdiguero had told the press that he was through with cycling after blasting the "hypocrisy" of the sport and the personal "witch-hunt" levelled at him and various Phonak team-mates in the wake of Floyd Landis's positive drugs test during the Tour. The 32-year-old subsequently abandoned the Vuelta after Stage 5.

But it now emerges that Perdiguero has reconsidered his retirement plan and now intends to continue riding for two more years. Speaking on Thursday, the Spaniard said: "I have two more years left of my contract with Phonak, I will continue training."

With the Swiss team set to be disbanded at the end of the season after losing its sponsor, it remains to be seen where Perdiguero will ride, although he admits that he has been contacted by two unnamed outfits.

Despite his change of heart, Perdiguero stands by his belief that the level of persecution within the peloton is too high: "We undergo authentic attacks against our dignity, things that any person should not have to put up with. Cyclists have to support each other."

After five years with Lotto (Domo and than Davitamon), Belgian rider Peter Van Petegem is set to sign a one-year contract with the team's Belgian rivals Quick Step.

The 36-year-old former Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix winner will ride in support of compatriot Tom Boonen while also maintaining his own freedom to pursue personal goals in the sprint classic races.

Van Petegem's current team-mate at Davitamon-Lotto, compatriot Christophe Brandt, is out of a coma after his heavy fall on Tuesday.

The crash, which occurred during the Coupe Seis race at Merxem, cost Brandt a kidney; he also suffered a punctured lung and multiple broken ribs.

After being put into an artificial coma by doctors following hospital treatment, Brandt regained consciousness on Thursday.

A team statement read: "The doctors examined the state of his lungs and decided to wake Christophe earlier than planned. He is conscious and has already been able to speak to his wife. The improvements of his state are excellent."

Having retired from the Tour of Britain during the opening stage due to illness, Germany's Andreas Kloeden, third in the Tour de France, has underlined his desire to partake in the world championships in Salzberg.

Kloeden, who will leave T-Mobile for Astana at the end of the season, aims to get in shape for the time-trial event on 21 September.