Garmin-Cervélo's French rider Christophe Le Mevel will push ahead with his season despite fracturing his hand. He plans to start in the Tour du Haut Var stage race on Saturday, lining out as defending champion.
French website velochrono.fr reported today that Le Mevel's crash in stage three of the Tour Méditerranéen last week caused the fracture. The 30-year-old had to abandon the race after the crash.
Frenchman David Moncoutié (Cofidis) won the final stage to Mont Faron and the overall classification on Sunday.
Le Mevel fractured his trapezium bone in his right hand. Although painful, it will not stop him and only requires a brace.
This is his first season with a foreign team since he started racing professionally in 2002. From 2002 to 2008, he raced with Crédit Agricole and, the last two years, with Française des Jeux.
He's the only Frenchman on Garmin's 29-man roster, which includes 15 nationalities. He finished 10th in his home tour, the Tour de France in 2009, and 14th at the Vuelta a España last year. His biggest win, though, was the stage to Varazze at the 2005 Giro d'Italia.
Last year, Le Mevel won the final stage and the overall of the Tour du Haut Var. Saturday, he will take the start line in La Croix Valmer with a brace, but with morale boosted by wearing dossard number 1.
The riders will race 168.8 kilometres the first day, to Grimaud. On Sunday, the second and final stage, they will cover 207 kilometres around Draguignan.
Le Mevel will race with Garmin team-mates Michel Kreder, Daniel Lloyd, Ramunas Navardauskas, Peter Stetina, Andrew Talansky and Matthew Wilson. Wilson helped Cameron Meyer win the overall at the Tour Down Under last month.