(BBC) – Lance Armstrong escaped serious injury after a fall midway through the 19th stage of the Giro d’Italia, which was won by Spain’s Carlos Sastre.

Armstrong, a seven-time winner of the Tour de France, fell off his saddle as he went round a hairpin curve.

The 37-year-old hit the pavement on his left shoulder – the opposite side from his crash in March when he broke his collarbone – and sustained bruising.

Russian Denis Menchov has the leader’s pink jersey with just two stages left.

Armstrong was able to rejoin the main pack for the 164-km stage, which ran from Avellino to Mount Vesuvius, after changing his rear wheel.

After his crash in March in Spain, a stainless steel plate and 12 screws were inserted into Armstrong’s right collarbone.

Armstrong returned to racing at the start of this year to promote his Livestrong cancer charity after three and a half years of retirement.

“He’s just got a little stiffness in the hip and knee and was glad to not end up in another ambulance,” said Armstrong’s Astana team spokesman Philippe Maertens.

He finished 16th – one minute, 42 seconds after stage winner Sastre, and remained 12th overall.

Sastre, the 2008 Tour de France champion came home in a time of four hours 33 minutes and 23 seconds, finishing ahead of Italian Franco Pellizotti, with Danilo Di Luca in third.

Di Luca did manage to snatch the eight second time bonus that comes with that though to cut Menchov’s lead to just 18 seconds, ahead of Saturday’s 203km penultimate stage and Sunday’s time-trial finish in Rome.

But that may prove to be too much to catch the Russian who finished Friday’s stage in fourth place, having ridden superbly throughout to cling onto the wheel of second-placed Di Luca.

Menchov however, is taking nothing for granted.

“You can’t say anything (is decided) until Rome,” he said.

“Di Luca and I are very close and are contesting this Giro over a question of seconds. Naturally, it’s better for me to be in front than behind.”