Hincapie confirms collarbone break

George Hincapie's sudden burst with 1km to go on the final stage of the Tour de France was what set the stage for a great final day for Mark Cavendish, and his efforts look even more heroic now that an X-ray has confirmed that the 36 year old American was riding with a broken collarbone after a spill in stage 17 of this year's race.

Hincapie was part of a big escape on the Bourg Saint-Maurice – Le Grand-Bornand stage when he crashed in the final stages, but he picked himself up to finish the stage and went on to complete the final four stages of the tour, his 14th, in 19th place, 33' 27" behind the winner, Alberto Contador.

Scans yesterday confirmed the break, which Hincapie announced on Twitter: "Got some bad news this am. X ray confirmed my collar bone is broken", he said, and later posted a link to the X-ray image. Currently his plan is to allow the break to heal naturally, and the South Carolina based rider is still aiming to compete in the USA Cycling Professional Road Racing Championships on 29-30 August in his home town of Greenville.