Yesterday it was already clear that Jens Debusschere has a bruise of the lower back muscles, a bruised junction between the collarbone and shoulder blade, a mild concussion and some abrasions. Further examinations have now shown that Jens Debusschere has two broken transverse processes in his back.  Debusschere suffered these injuries during a crash in Gent-Wevelgem last Sunday. Rest is the only cure so the 26-year old will not race anymore this Spring.

“This is a huge disappointment of course,"he said. "I planned to take another big step forward this spring and I felt really good during the preparations. A crash in the Strade Bianche and a rib injury almost disturbed by Spring, but I had a good feeling in Tirreno-Adriatico, I managed to help Jürgen Roelandts in Milano-Sanremo and I was able to win Dwars Door Vlaanderen. I hoped to maintain that good shape the next few weeks, but unfortunately I crashed in Ghent-Wevelgem.

“I had really good legs past Sunday, perhaps I could have played a role in the finale. It’s still not clear how I crashed. My head, shoulder and especially my back are injured. I’ll need a few weeks to recover from these injuries. After that I’ll focus on the next part of the season. For me this is painful, but compared to the grief of the families, friends and teammates of Antoine Demoitié and Daan Myngheer my injuries are peanuts.”