Belgian cyclist Christophe Brandt, who suffered multiple injuries in a high speed crash on Tuesday, was brought out of a medically induced coma after showing signs of improvement on Thursday.

The 29-year-old Davitamon team rider was due to stay in a coma for two days as doctors assessed his injuries following the accident on the Sels to Merxem Cup race.

But in a statement his team reported: "After doctors examined him and saw an improvement in the condition of his lungs they decided to bring Christophe out of the coma earlier than planned. He is now awake and has been speaking with his wife. There is already a big improvement."

In an emergency operation Tuesday Brandt had to have one of his kidneys removed. His spleen also burst, although doctors were able to save it. Brandt also suffered a fractured arm and four shattered ribs, one of which caused a collapsed lung.

Brandt crashed on Tuesday when racing in the peloton at speeds approaching 50 km/h. He hit a traffic-lights post before violently hitting a car.

McEwen misses time cut, out of Vuelta
Australian Robbie McEwen's bid for stage victories in all three major Tours this year came to an abrupt end when his Vuelta a España finished prematurely on stage five.

McEwen, who rides for the Davitamon-Lotto team, finished last on Wednesday and outwith the permitted time limit at 39 minutes, 26 seconds behind Italian winner Danilo Di Luca of Liquigas-Bianchi.

Along with Frenchman Freddy Bichot and Belgian Christophe Detilloux, McEwen was thus eliminated on the race's first mountain stage to the summit finish of La Covatilla ski station.

McEwen won three stages on the Giro d'Italia then repeated his feat on the Tour de France, where he also coasted to his third green jersey for the race's points classification.

He did not win any stages during the Vuelta's three days of bunch sprinting that preceded Wednesday's first foray into the hills.

The 33-year-old Belgium-based Aussie was due to leave the Vuelta early, once the going got really tough. However, this early exit was not anticipated.

McEwen's participation in the upcoming world championships' road race on September 24 in Salzburg also remains undecided.

Perhaps as a sign of his upcoming plans, on the section of his website entitled "next race," McEwen has written, "No races."

Goss signs with CSC
Tour of Britain leader Matthew Goss has signed a three-year contract to ride with CSC beginning in 2007.

The 19-year-old Tasmanian has impressed by posting six victories in Europe so far this season, leading to four offers from ProTour teams before he signed with CSC.

He said: "I believe CSC offers me the best opportunity to develop as a professional cyclist and they also support my dream of riding for Australia on the track at the Beijing Olympic Games."

Earlier this year Goss was a member of the Australian team-pursuit quartet that claimed gold at the World Championships and silver at the Commonwealth Games.

CSC has agreed to release him for national-team track commitments through the Beijing Games.

Goss, who came through the road ranks with the SouthAustralia.com-AIS team, will join fellow Australians Stuart O'Grady and Luke Roberts at the outfit run by former Tour de France winner Bjarne Riis.

Piil to T-Mobile
Danish veteran Jakob Piil will ride for the T-Mobile team next season, the 33-year-old rider said Thursday in Bonn, Germany.

Piil has been with the Danish team CSC since 2001 and said it was time for a change.

Piil's biggest achievement to date is winning a stage at the 2003 Tour de France. He also won the Paris-Tours one-day race in 2002.

With Andreas Klöden, third at this year's Tour de France, heading for the Astana team and Jan Ullrich sacked following doping accusations, T-Mobile has been forced to revamp its team for next season.

German federation gets tough on doping
The German cycling federation (BDR) has decided to get tough on doping, announcing Thursday that it will introduce new, stricter doping protocols.

As of next year all professional German cyclists will be subjected to more testing and will have their own blood profiles updated throughout the season.

"This system is unique and strict. Whoever ignores the rules will not compete for an international title in German colors," said BDR president Rudolf Scharping. "The credibility of cycling hinges on our ability to carry out these measures."

The move comes in the wake of an ongoing doping affair in Spain that implicated around 60 riders, including 1997 Tour winner Jan Ullrich, who subsequently was sacked by T-Mobile.

Ullrich was suspended before this year's Tour de France, then sacked after evidence from a Spanish police investigation alleged that the German was given EPO and other banned substances by a Madrid-based sports doctor, Eufemiano Fuentes.