Edward Theuns is on the comeback trail. The Belgian broke a vertebra In the Tour de France but the rehabilitation takes time. "I have had difficult moments and I still have some," the rider from Trek Segafredo tells Sporza from the training camp in Spain

For Edward Theuns, these months are marked by his return after a nasty crash in the Tour de France where he was blown off his bike during the first time trial.

"My condition feels currently better than last year, but my back still gives rise to doubts. The injury is still not 100% healed and I still have some pain. My back will never be the same as before the crash so I will have a hard time,” Theuns says.

During his recovery Theuns has received much support from his girlfriend Lien Crapoen. "If anyone knows how hard it's been, it’s her. Lien was there from the beginning.

"When I crashed, she was at the Tour, and she immediately rushed to the hospital. She slept there on a chair next to my bed, sacrificed a lot for me, helped to wash me ... I was a bit like a child who had to be taken care of.

"When I got home, I had to sleep downstairs on a hospital bed for a month. Lien super important to me throughout the rehabilitation period was. I think it was almost as hard for her mentally as it was for me. I have had difficult times been and sometimes still have some. "

"In early November, I'll did real workouts,” continues Theuns. "That was like a new beginning. I came back into the rhythm of being a rider, watching my diet and being fully focued on cycling. Since then I have agai had my thoughts on the new cycling year.

"You do not recover quickly from such a serious injury. I do not dare to make statements about goals, because my back creates uncertainty. I must consider 2017 a bit like a rehabilitation year, but I have already some race in my head where I want to be good, such as Omloop. Normally my season will start in Australia. I think it's good to resume racing quickly so that I can get used to the peloton and fight in the bunch sprints.”