Riders unhurt in scary Tour crashes

JAUSIERS, France (AP) - Christian Vande Velde skidded along the road and John-Lee Augustyn rolled off the side of a hill in scary crashes on the downhill section of Tuesday's 16th stage of the Tour de France. Neither was injured, and had far better luck than 2006 champion Oscar Pereiro, who was taken to hospital with a broken left shoulder after he was sent flying on Sunday. Augustyn, a South African rider competing in his first Tour, was in contention for the stage win before his accident. Luckily, the thick dirt cushioned his fall and slowed him down. "I chose a bad trajectory and went down the hill. It was pretty frightening," Augustyn said. "Fortunately some supporters helped me to get back on the road. But I had to wait for a new bike though, since mine was way too down to recover it." Vande Velde slid on his side and... [read full story]