Arm injury may keep Óscar Pereiro out of Vuelta a España

Óscar Pereiro could miss the upcoming Vuelta a España and might have to go under the knife before the season is out.

The 2006 Tour de France winner is suffering pain in his right arm that he says relates back to his career-threatening crash during the 2008 Tour. Pereiro, 33, has his wrist in a brace and has not trained in a week.

“I don’t have strength in my hand to open the door of my house with a key, let alone grab the bike,” Pereiro told the Voz de Galicia newspaper.

The Astana rider said he began feeling pain during the recent Tour of Poland and has undergone ultra-sound treatments on his injury without much relief. Doctors say surgery might be his only option.

“This makes the Vuelta complicated,” Pereiro said. “I haven’t been able to train since Sunday and without that you cannot arrive with any sort of fitness.”

Pereiro nearly retired at the end of the 2009 season, but signed a contract to join Astana with the expectation that he would help Alberto Contador in the Tour de France.

However, he was not selected for the Tour squad and instead set his sights on the Vuelta, with the hope of winning a stage. He has already said he will retire at the end of this season.