Berlin - American cyclist Levi Leipheimer is sidelined for several weeks with a fractured fibula in his left leg after being hit by a car during training, his Omega Quick Step team said on Thursday.
Leipheimer, 38, was hit by the car on Sunday. The team said in a statement that surgery is not necessary and that the length of his absence from the sport will depend on the healing process.
However, the 2011 Tour de Suisse champion Leipheimer is upbeat that he can compete in the Tour de France in July and at the London Olympics.
"It's amazing that all I did was break my fibula. I was in a panic state after (the collision) happened; I couldn't calm down. I can't communicate how close I came to being killed and that was incredibly scary.
More than anything, I'm really grateful for the chance to come back from this injury. This could be a good thing for me in events like the Tour de France and the 2012 London Olympics ... I still have my sights set squarely on a win again this year," Leipheimer said in the team statement.