Injury Knocks Out Armstrong Out Of T-Mobile International


Lance Armstrong has been forced to pull out of the T-MOBILE INTERNATIONAL presented by BMC Software because of tendonitis in his right knee, organizers announced early Friday afternoon.

The race, featuring an international field of top cyclists, including nine who competed in the Athens Olympics, is scheduled for Sunday at 10 a.m. on an 8.8-mile course on the streets of downtown San Francisco.

The six-time Tour de France champion, who arrived in San Francisco Friday, stated, "This problem popped up for the first time ever toward the end of the Tour de France and I thought it would go away with the proper rest. It continued to hurt during training and flared up this week, leading to this decision. This race is just too hard not to enter at 100 per cent. I'm clearly disappointed. However, I felt if I pushed it, I could risk an injury that would set me back for months."

Dan Osipow, the Director of Communications for the U.S. Postal Service team and a Director of race organizer San Francisco Cycling, said that the event has become well established thanks in part to Armstrong's participation and that the cyclist will be on hand to watch the race and support his teammates on Sunday.

"The news is unfortunate, but the USPS team is still one of the strongest in a race that features a terrific field," said Osipow. "The good thing is, Lance will remain in San Francisco and plans to check out the race on the Fillmore and Taylor Street hills."

The women's race on Sunday begins at 7 a.m. and the men's race at 10 a.m. at the Start/Finish Line on the Embarcadero near the Ferry Building.

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