Cycling:Seven-times Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong crashed out of the Tour of California last night shortly after he dismissed a former team mate's claim that he used performance-enhancing drugs.
Armstrong withdrew from the event after a crash left the American bloodied and sent to hospital for precautionary X-rays during a fifth stage that saw Australian Michael Rogers grab the overall lead.
Prior to the stage, Armstrong denied accusations by Floyd Landis that he used performance-enhancing drugs.
Landis, stripped of his 2006 Tour de France victory after failing a doping test, ended years of denial when he confessed to using drugs from 2002 when he joined the US Postal team and was a team mate of Armstrong.
Armstrong crashed with several other riders in the opening kilometers of the fifth stage. He needed eight stitches below his left eye but x-rays on his elbow showed no broken bones.
"It was a shame to have to abandon early and not be able to help Levi (Leipheimer) to another victory," said Armstrong, who kept riding but later quit because of the injuries.
