Bartoli feared to have broken pelvis after fall 2003-01-07 16:33 (New York)
ROME, Jan 8 (AFP) - Italy's former world number one cyclist Michele Bartoli could face a long
time on the sidelines amid fears he broke his pelvis in a heavy fall while training in Spain it
was revealed by his team Fasso Bortolo on Tuesday. It would be a bitter blow for the
32-year-old, who had roared back to form after a series of injuries to win the Amstel Gold Cup
race and the Tour of Lombardy last year. "I don't know much about what happened," team
spokeswoman Miriam Nordeman told AFP from the team's Italian base. "I know he hurt his pelvis
and perhaps he has fractured it, but we'll have to wait and see how it is when he returns here,"
she added. Bartoli, who offered his last pay packet when he was sacked by Mapei two years ago to
go towards a fund for the families of the victims of the September 11 terror attacks in the USA,
will undergo further x-rays when he returns to Italy on Wednesday. However it appears unlikely
Bartoli will be able to line-up for the Milan-San Remo classic in March. jpb/pi03
-0- Jan/07/2003 21:18 GMT EOS (AFS) Jan/07/2003 16:18 295 -0- (AFS) Jan/07/2003 21:33 GMT