HAMMOND’S BACK ON TRACK

A heavy crash on stage one of Etoile de Besseges put Roger Hammond?s back out of kilter - but he found treatment for it rather quicker than expected.

?Somebody came too close, their handlebars caught mine and there was nothing I could do about it.? Hammond told CW?s website on Monday afternoon. ?I hit the deck, it was a slow crash so I went down heavily on my right hip and elbow and twisted my pelvis.?

?So I stopped using my left leg as much as I should have done, I was twisting on the bike and my back was getting more and more painful.?

After Friday?s stage three, Hammond was in a pretty bad way, and his T-Mobile Director Allan Peiper went to reception to ask for the yellow pages to look for any local osteopath.

?The receptionist said ?you want one osteopath? We?ve got about 30 here.?? Hammond said. ?It turned out there was an osteopath?s congress in the hotel, so we were spoiled for choice.?

After one quick session, Hammond was back on track. ?even if I felt terrible the next stage, as you always do straight after osteopathy, by Sunday I was feeling much better and my back should be ok now.?

He was even up for the final sprint, and on Sunday was on stage winner Sebastian Chavanel?s back wheel in the final 1500 metres.

?But then some Ag2R rider rode into my rear mech., wrecked it and I couldn?t do the sprint.? Hammond recalls. ?It was a pity.?

Hammond is now training in Spain for just over a week before heading to his next race, the Tour of Algarve in Portugal.