Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) has refused to rule out his participation in the Vuelta a Espana despite doctors gloomy predictions as he recovers from his Tour de France crash.

El Pistolero suffered a fractured tibia on stage ten of the Tour and – despite defying the pain to attempt to ride back on for some ten more kilometres – clambered into his team car and out of the race.

EN – Hot news of the day – Stage 10 (Mulhouse > La Planche des Belles Filles) by Le Tour de France

And though doctors have confirmed the Spaniard suffered no ligament or tendon damage in the crash, his prospects of lining up at the Vuelta a Espana against Chris Froome (Team Sky) are decidedly slim.

Contador said: “Doctors have told me it will be almost impossible to be in the Tour of Spain, but we’ll see how the leg evolves. I am calm because they have looked me up and down and I’m sure what I have.

“Doctors have put things very black, but I will work hard in the coming weeks and we’ll see how far I can get.”

Contador’s crash means all three former champions who started the race – Froome and Andy Schleck (Trek Factory Racing) – crashed out before the first rest day.

The crash-laden Tour has also claimed Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma-Quickstep) and Mat Hayman (Orica-GreenEDGE) among its list of casualties so far.

Criterium du Dauphine winner Andrew Talansky and Liege-Bastogne-Liege champion Simon Gerrans, meanwhile, have both rode on despite heavy crashes of their own.

It meant 180 riders took to the start line as racing resumed in Besancon for stage 11.