Christian Vande Velde rode through Wednesday’s time trial at the Dauphiné Libéré licking his wounds.

Vande Velde crashed on a steep descent in Tuesday’s hilly stage when his drive train slipped and he lost all resistance in his pedals, sending him “high-siding” over the handlebars.

“I just catapulted over the handlebars,” said Vande Velde, who added he couldn’t touch his chin to his chest because of stiffness in his neck. “Remember the crash Tyler (Hamilton) had at the Tour a few years ago? My back looks just like that.”

Vande Velde rode Wednesday’s time trial as a high-speed recovery ride, but proudly pointed out to the Team CSC team car following him that he still posted a time less than one hour (102nd at 57:56). Then it was back to the team hotel to rest and try to push on through the remaining four days of the Dauphiné.

“The only reason I finished yesterday was because I knew today was a time trial,” Vande Velde said after his ride. “I could ride at my own pace and hopefully recover.”

The 31-year-old was lucky to escape without more serious injuries. A team doctor examined him last night and skipped a trip to a local hospital because there didn’t appear to be any broken bones.

With the Tour less than a month away, he knows he cannot afford any more setbacks.

“It’s looking good for the Tour,” he said. “I need to recover and put in some miles, because I’ve already said this before, you don’t want to go to the Tour if you’re not in 100 percent condition. The Tour is hard enough when you’re in great shape.”

The crash comes on the heels of an equally nasty fall during the Volta a Catalunya last month in Spain.

Vande Velde, fresh off finishing second at the Tour de Georgia, said he was barreling through a tunnel in the transition stage out of the Pyrénées when he looked back over his shoulder and another rider’s handlebars plowed into his bars, dashing him to the ground at 70kph.

Even though he was forced to abandon, he once again avoided serious injuries.

Vande Velde said he’s learned an important lesson in both crashes.

“I am a lifetime advocate for Bell helmets,” he said. “I’ve had two bad crashes and they’ve saved my life. I will never leave the house without my helmet again.”