No, Lance Armstrong didn’t run over Matt Lauer during a training ride. Rather, the two quasi-celebs, who happen to share the same haircut, were involved in two separate bicycle accidents, which left them both hospitalized.
Armstrong reportedly remains hospitalized in Spain following a crash this morning. The seven-time Tour de France champ was participating in his first professional race on European soil since winning his last yellow jersey when he got caught up in a massive pile-up involving dozens of other riders.
Reports say Armstrong went down about 12.5 miles from the finish line during the first stage of the 5-day race. Sources say the star athlete broke his collarbone. Some reports say the father of three young children (and one more on the way) appeared to be in considerable pain as he was rushed by ambulance to the Rio Carrion hospital in Palencia. Other reports say Armstrong has withdrawn from the race and will be flying back to the United States to seek advanced medical care.
Last September Armstrong announced that he would be coming out of retirement to compete in the 2009 Tour de France. This race was a primer for the event. Unfortunately for fans of the 37-year-old cancer survivor turned celebrity playboy, things are not looking promising for the cycling champ.
I think Sheryl Crow would call what happened to her ex-lover, karma… but only in private.
Moving on to Matt Lauer.
The “Today” show host is no Lance Armstrong, and he proved that well yesterday when he took on a deer with his bike… and the deer won.
According to his NBC cohort Meredith Vieira, Lauer was enjoying a peaceful bike ride this weekend on Long Island when a deer “appeared out of nowhere” and jumped into his path. Lauer reportedly flipped over the bike’s handlebars and separated his shoulder.
Reps for Lauer say the broadcaster was scheduled to have surgery Monday afternoon.
Not exactly the perfect weekend, but on the bright side NBC execs say things could have been a lot worse for Lauer had he not been wearing his helmet.
“Today” show reps say they expect Lauer to return to work by the end of the week.