Several days ago Thomas De Gendt and Gert Dockx were hit by a car while training in Spain. Lotto-Soudal riders were first transported to hospital in Calpe and after it turned out their injuries weren't life-threatening, returned to Belgium for further mediacal examination. Speaking with Belgian media, De Gendt confirmed that he was ready to resume trainings and insisted that Spain wasn't an unsafe place for cyclists to train.

"I just have some pain in my (broken) ring finger and back," De Gendt told Sporza, according to Cyclingnews. "Today I went to check with the team doctor and any symptoms of concussion are gone."

"It was a blessing in disguise that the incident took place at the end of the training camp," explained De Gendt. "Because the condition is not compromised. And I had planned a short rest after the training camp."

"From tomorrow I may get back on my bike for a light workout. Wednesday I shall venture for a longer workout. If I do well in the two tests, I will start Paris-Nice (March 6, ed),"

Even though the accident of two Lotto-Soudal riders happened in the same area where six Giant-Alpecin cyclists had suffered a horrible crash several weeks ago, De Gendt insists that Spain is not an unsafe place to train, generally speaking.

"That Degenkolb was hit when riding in Calpe, is purely coincidental. Spain is not additionally unsafe for cyclists. It could well have happened in Belgium," he said.