In 2005 Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France being considered the best rider that have ever competed in this contest. In 2008, after three years of retirement, he announced that he wants to compete the 2009 Tour de France. But unfortunately he was hospitalized today after crashing during a race in Spain in the first stage of a five-day race.

The accident took place 12,5 miles from the stage’s finish in La Vuelta de Castilla y Leon. It seems that Armstrong has injured his collarbone and was in such pain that he needed to go to Rio Carrion hospital in Palencia.

Armstrong went out of racing for three years and coming back this year, he placed only 125th on Saturday competing with much younger people.

But despite his pain he encouraged his fans to be realistic: “People think that somehow the same rider they saw in July, 2005 is miraculously going to be the same rider that they see again in March, 2009. It isn’t so.”

We wish Lance Armstrong good health because a man of his courage and strength he really belong on the bike.