Arndt undergoes spinal surgical procedure, Merlier resumes coaching after Classic Brugge-De Panne crash

The closing kilometres of the boys’s Classic Brugge-De Panne took many victims as quite a few crashes rippled by means of the peloton.

A laundry listing of riders suffered accidents starting from contusions and cuts to a collapsed lung and fractured ribs suffered by Lionel Taminiaux.

Now, Bahrain Victorious have introduced that their rider Nikias Arndt can be out of motion for the approaching months after the German acquired caught up within the carnage, struggling a fractured vertebra within the course of.

“Nikias Arndt sustained an unstable vertebral fracture with no neurological signs after the crash on the Classic Brugge-De Panne,” the group introduced on Thursday. “He underwent profitable spinal surgical procedure immediately in Belgium.

“Over the following few days, Nikias will enhance his mobility, work on his restoration at house, and we hope to see him again on the bike within the subsequent two months.”

Bahrain Victorious can be led by their regular Classics pairing of Fred Wright and Matej Mohorič on the upcoming races by means of the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.

The damage signifies that Arndt has been dominated out of the rest of the Spring Classics, whereas a number of others who additionally went down on the Classic Brugge-De Panne can even miss upcoming races.

Edward Theuns (Lidl-Trek) and Milan Fretin (Cofidis) had been each slated to experience at Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday, however each males have been faraway from their group lineups for the race.

Theuns, who not too long ago received the Bredene Koksijde Classic, suffered highway rash, considerably on his fingers, whereas Fretin suffered a gentle concussion and in addition had highway rash over his physique.

Soudal-QuickStep sprinter Tim Merlier was one of many favourites for the race, however he was one other caught up within the falls, taking place in a mass crash 1km from the end.

The European champion suffered abrasions on his right-hand facet, additionally sustaining a reduce beneath his proper knee, which required stitches. His participation at Gent-Wevelgem, the place he’d be a co-leader for his group, is presently up within the air.

Soudal-QuickStep have but to make any bulletins or give updates on Merlier’s situation, however he did full a three-hour, 107km training ride on Thursday.

Classics veteran Yves Lampaert and up-and-coming French racer Paul Magnier will line up for the group at Gent-Wevelgem, however a match and in-form Merlier would add one other dimension to the group in a race that favours the quick finishers.