Haimar Zubeldia’s Tour de France campaign for Lance Armstrong’s RadioShack team is under threat after the Spaniard suffered a fracture in a crash on Monday.

Zubeldia was one of several riders to crash on the first stage of the Dauphine Criterium, a key warm-up stage race for next month’s Tour de France, and has now been ruled out of this week’s race.

RadioShack also said the 33-year-old Spanish climbing specialist had a plate fitted to a fractured radius bone on his right forearm during a minor operation at a local hospital.

Zubeldia is regarded as a key mountain helper for Armstrong in his bid for an eighth yellow jersey in July, however RadioShack said his participation in the race is only “compromised”.

The team refused to rule him out altogether but said they could not put a date when Zubeldia could return to training.

A team statement said Zubeldia suffered a “distal radius fracture (right side). Zubeldia broke his forearm (wrist) in the massive crash that occurred 15 kilometres from the finish in the first stage of the Criterium du Dauphine.

“Some hours after the race, Zubeldia underwent surgery in the Centre Hospitalier of Voiron. The doctors inserted a plate to stabilize the fracture and to ensure a quick recovery.

“Zubeldia, one of Team RadioShack’s key riders for the Grand Tours can continue training, thanks to the medical intervention, but right now it is not possible to determine when he will be able to resume competition.”

The Spaniard has finished in the Tour’s top ten on three occasions – his best placing being fifth twice, in 2003 and 2007 – and raced the Tour for Astana last year when Armstrong was still part of the team. He then followed the American when he left to establish RadioShack.

Astana’s Alberto Contador won last year’s Tour, and is currently leading the Dauphine having won the prologue and finishing with the yellow jersey on his back after the first stage, won by Slovenian Grega Bole of Lampre.

Two other RadioShack riders, Belgian Ben Hermans and Spaniard Markel Irizar, also crashed on Monday but suffered mainly bruising.