Belgian cyclist Laurens de Plus and his Quick-Step Floors teammate, Czech Petr Vakoc, have had to put their season on hold after they were hit by a speeding truck while training in Nelspruit, South Africa, on Thursday.
The two riders were on a training ride with a third teammate, Bob Jungels, when the incident occurred.
Laurens de Plus, pictured here, will fly home tonight after receiving treatment in Nelspruit over the weekend. Photo: Sigfrid Eggers
Both were admitted to hospital and De Plus went for further tests on Sunday which revealed a non-displaced fracture to his right hip bone and a micro fracture in his lower back.
De Plus will fly home tonight. He will need at least three weeks’ recovery time before he can resume training, his team’s statement said.
The 22-year-old will undergo conservative therapy after returning home.
Meanwhile Vakoc, 25, who underwent surgery on Friday, is still in hospital. He was reportedly moving and talking and his doctors said they deemed the procedure a success.
Vakoc will remain in hospital for another week before returning to Europe.
“This morning I spoke to Petr and he was relieved that everything went fine,” said team trainer Koen Pelgrim on Saturday.
“The last 48 hours were long and nerve-racking, but we are happy things are good.
“Petr needs a lot of time to recover now,” he added.
