Lance Armstrong to have surgery on broken collarbone

Lance Armstrong was to have surgery to repair a broken collarbone but still believes he could be fit to race the Giro d'Italia in May.

Lance Armstrong was to have surgery to repair a broken collarbone but still believes he could be fit to race the Giro d’Italia in May,the seven-time Tour de France champion said Tuesday.

“At home finally. Whew. Long coupla days. Surgery at 7am tomorrow,” Armstrong wrote on the Twitter website after arriving in Austin,Texas.

He elaborated in a conference call with reporters from several US media outlets,including the New York Times.

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“It’s a very common cycling injury,so you hear of guys who have raced two weeks later,and guys who have raced two months later. In my opinion,I think the Giro is still very doable,” Armstrong said.

The US cycling legend broke his collarbone when he fell along with several other riders about 20 kilometres (32 miles) from the finish line of the first stage of the Tour of Castillay Leon on Monday.

The surgery,which involves inserting a metal plate to stabilize the injury,was decided on after further tests showed it was not a clean break.

A cancer survivor who went on to claim a record seven Tour de France crowns,Armstrong ended a three-and-a-half year retirement at the Tour Down Under in Australia in January. The 37-year-old declared his goal this year is to win an eighth Tour de France title.