Pellet removed from shot Kiwi cyclist

After being shot with an air gun during the Tour de France, New Zealand cyclist Julian Dean has had a pellet surgically removed from his finger.

Dean was one of two riders shot during the 13th Tour de France stage from Vittel to Colmar last month.

At the time, Dean said the incident was not that much of a drama, the cold prevented him from feeling much pain when the pellet hit and he was able to finish the race.

However, the injury became a much more apparent problem when the couple arrived home weeks after the incident, Dean's wife Carole reported on the cyclist's wesite. " As it turned out, he felt terrible and could barely muster up enough energy to get out of bed, and when he did he felt hot, was constantly sweating, felt lethargic and nauseous," she said.

"Meanwhile, his `shot' finger continued to redden and swell up more as each day passed."

An x-ray at an emergency centre showed the pellet was lodged against the bone in the tip of Dean's index finger and the following week the pellet was removed.

"Julz was so happy to hear the `tink' of the pellet hitting the bottom of the dish. Finally some reprieve from the relentless throbbing he'd endured for a week," his wife said.

The pellet had since taken pride of place in a medical sample bottle, providing the couple's 15-month-old son with a new rattle.

- NZPA