GUENES, Spain -- American cyclist Levi Leipheimer felt "lucky to be alive" after he was hit from behind by a car while training for a race.
Leipheimer was treated at a hospital for a sore and swollen lower left leg, but he had no broken bones, his Italian team said. The Omega Pharma-Quick Step rider was training by himself for the Tour of Basque Country.
Leipheimer was to be examined again Monday in California before a date can be set for his return to racing, the team said.
"This is one of those mornings when feeling like I got run over is actually true," Leipheimer wrote on Twitter on Monday. "Yes I was hit by a car directly from behind, didn't see or hear it coming. One of the scariest experiences of my life."
The 38-year-old former teammate of Lance Armstrong will skip the six-stage Spanish race, which began Monday.
Spanish rider Jose Joaquin Rojas won a sprint finish in the 95-mile opening stage. The Movistar rider crossed the line in front of Wout Poels of the Netherlands and Fabian Wegmann of Germany.
Tuesday's second stage is a 103-mile leg from Guenes to Vitoria, the Basque capital.
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