US cyclist Chris Horner is out of Tour de France

American cyclist Chris Horner did not start Stage 8 of the Tour de France on Saturday after spending the night in the hospital after his Friday bicycle crash.

The 39-year-old RadioShack team member from Bend, Oregon, was being held for observation after the crash because he suffered a concussion and was clearly disoriented after he was the last bicyclist to cross the finish line.

Team manager Johan Bruyneel left the following message on Twitter:

“Update on @hornerakg: doing much better, 2nd head scan ok. Broken nose
& big haematoma on right calf. No start. Wish him a speedy recovery.”

Earlier, a note on his Twitter account on Friday (hornerakg) reads:

“Chris is spending the night at the hospital for observation, but is doing better. Thanks for all of the support from fans”….
In the video, Horner can be seen telling members of the RadioShack team staff that “I don't understand” regarding  injuries he suffered with about 20 miles left in Friday's stage from Le Mans to Châteauroux. He clearly doesn't remember the crash or finishing the stage, which he must have done in a daze.

Horner was among a number of cyclists, among them teammate Levi
Leipheimer, who crashed off the right side of a narrow road. Bradley
Wiggins, a British member of Team Sky, immediately abandoned the race
with a broken collarbone.

The crash devastated the peloton, as 90 cyclists lost anywhere from 3 to 12 minutes.

It's a disappointing episode in Horner's long cycling career. He won the Amgen Tour of California in May where he excelled on the climbs.

Horner started Friday's stage in 13th overall, 18 seconds behind the yellow jersey. He ended the day in 119th place, 12:59 behind the overall leader.

Germany's Andreas Kloden is the best-placed RadioShack cyclist at the beginning of Stage 8; he's in 5th place, 10 seconds behind the yellow jersey.

Meanwhile, Belgian cyclists Tom Boonen abandoned the race before the crash, suffering from side-effects of a concussion he suffered in a crash on Thursday. CyclingNews reports how teams assess head injuries.