For Lotto-Soudal’s Kris Boeckmans, many feared for his life after his awful crash at the 2015 Vuelta a Espana. But the Belgian is very close to getting back into racing and says he is not afraid of being back in the bunch.

“There are some mental tests, but I’m not afraid. I’m not afraid when I’m on the bike. I think I will succeed with flying colors. Then we will see when I can mingle again in the peloton,” he told Sporza.

“When I look back on this comeback, I think ‘how did I do this?’ because you would think in advance ‘I will not come through this’, but I did it. I am sometimes surprised by myself, this feels like I’ve won a big classic.”

The 29 year old doesn’t have a set race that he will return in but it is believed he will be back around late April or May. Boeckmans said the key to getting back to racing was never being angry at how long it was taking him to heal.

“The key of my return is perhaps a problem that my uncle had with his shoulder. The physiotherapist told him: ‘Do not be angry with that shoulder, otherwise it will never heal’. Now I never get angry on my body.”