Updated: September 8, 2009, 5:01 PM ET
Vande Velde out of Tour of Missouri
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- Defending champion Christian Vande Velde has pulled out of the Tour of Missouri cycling race because of a broken hand.
Vande Velde was part of a pileup that involved more than a dozen riders near the finish of Monday's first stage at St. Louis. Vande Velde slid into a fire hydrant and broke one of his hands.
He tested his hand near the beginning of Tuesday's stage but decided the pain was too much.
The second stage Tuesday was a 112.4-mile ride from Ste. Genevieve to Cape Girardeau, along the Mississippi River.
Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press
