Tour de France crash victim Jens Voigt has been told he will have to wait for a decision on whether he faces surgery on his smashed cheekbone, his Saxo Bank team announced Wednesday.

The 37-year-old was temporarily knocked unconscious after a high speed crash during the race’s 16th stage from Martigny in Switzerland to Bourg Saint Maurice on Tuesday.

After being revived at the scene the German veteran was flown by helicopter to hospital in Grenoble where he was diagnosed with a broken cheekbone and heavy concussion.

Doctors said they would wait for a few days before deciding whether to operate on his cheekbone.

Voigt was knocked out and left bloodied after a heavy fall early on the descent from the Col du Petit-Saint-Bernard.

Voigt, a team-mate of yellow jersey contender Andy Schleck, has had poor luck on the Tour recently after a flat tyre cost him the chance to stay with a breakaway group on last Saturday’s 14th stage.

He suffered a back-wheel puncture at the 57km mark and despite receiving a new wheel from the neutral spares car, he lost his place in a 13-man escape which included eventual stage winner Sergei Ivanov of Katusha.

Voigt is the second rider Saxo Bank have lost inside a week.

Their 34-year-old Norwegian champion Kurt-Asle Arvesen crashed out in the 10th stage trying to avoid a spectator.