Giro d'Italia: "Slight instability" of shoulder joint for Alberto Contador, says official bulletin

Alberto Contador is experiencing "slight pain" in the shoulder he injured in a crash at the end of Giro d'Italia Stage 6 in Castiglione della Pescaia this afternoon. The crash happened around 300 metres from the end of the stage, when Daniele Colli of Nippo-Vini Fantini struck a zoom lens attached to a spectator's camera - he's out of the race with a fractured left humerus.

Contador's Tinkoff team, who have reportedly told the Spanish media he has a dislocated shoulder, has said that a decision on whether the man who is leading the Giro will continue to ride the race will be made in the morning, ahead of what is tomorrow the longest stage of the 98th edition.

The official medical bulletin from the race, released this evening, reads:

Castiglione della Pescaia, 14 May 2015

Rider no. 201 Alberto CONTADOR VELASCO (TCS) underwent x-ray and CAT scans of the left shoulder that was injured during the crash. Clinical examination revealed a slight instability of the left shoulder joint, as compared to the right one. The rider experienced slight pain.

Rider no. 124 Daniele COLLI (NIP) underwent x-ray examinations that confirmed a compound fracture of the left humerus, while CAT scans ruled out further fractures or damage to the internal organs of the chest and abdomen.

At the post-race press conference earlier this evening, the team's general manager, Stefano Feltrin, said: "Alberto is now going to the hotel, where the team doctor, Pete Daniels, is going to asses whether there is any damage, and what its nature might be.

"You all saw the fall: he got caught in a crash at full speed in a bunch sprint and went down pretty hard. We have applied ice to both knees and shoulders. His elbows and knees seem to be OK. There don't seem to be any broken bones, but in that sort of crash, you cannot know what has happened until you have been examined."

Asked if Contador might not start in the morning, he said: "Yes, it is possible, Until the doctor has seen him, we can't know the consequences. In the morning, when we have reliable information, we'll decide what to do."

As for this evening, he said: "First, our team doctor will evaluate him and then we'll decide. The race organisation has put its medical staff at our disposal. There is a hospital nearby. When we know, we'll decide what happens next."