Lance Armstrong’s RadioShack team insisted on Wednesday that experienced Spanish campaigner Haimar Zubeldia has not yet been ruled out of next month’s Tour de France.

Zubeldia crashed out of the Dauphine Criterium, a key warm-up event for the Tour, on Monday’s opening stage after crashing and fracturing a bone in his wrist.

It was considered a blow to RadioShack, especially as Zubeldia has had two top five finishes on the Tour and is deemed a valuable teammate to Armstrong as he bids for an eighth yellow jersey.

RadioShack admitted on Monday that Zubeldia’s chances of competing next month were “heavily compromised”.

But speaking after Slovenian Janez Brajkovic won the Dauphine’s third stage time trial to take the race lead from Tour de France favourite Alberto Contador, sports director Alain Gallopin said nothing has been decided.

“Nothing has been decided yet, whether it’s regarding Janez or Haimar,” said the Frenchman.

“Janez has been on form for a while, but we will wait to see how he does in the Dauphine (before making any decision).”

Brajkovic will state his case for a spot on RadioShack’s nine-man Tour team in the remaining four stages of the race, most of which take place in the French Alps.

But despite a series of top ten places in one-week stage races this season, the Slovenian is not raising his hopes.

“I’m just going to do my best this week and if I make the Tour team great, if not it’s not the end of the world,” he said.

Ahead of four days in the mountains, Brajkovic holds a 36sec lead on Britain’s David Millar, with American Tejay Van Garderen in third at 50 and two-time Tour de France champion Contador in fourth at 1:41.