Michael Vanthourenhout was lucky to suffer only remarkably minor injuries after his crash last weekend in Koksijde. The reigning U23 world champion will be at the start of the Flandrien Cross in Hamme (bpost Bank Trofee) on Sunday, according to Veldritkrant.be.

Vanthournhout went down hard in Koksijde and had to be treated in a while on the ground. Reports of a possible hip fracture were soon denied by his Sunweb Napoleon Games team. However, he had trouble with his right knee.

His teammate Kevin Pauwels also had physical issues this week. The rider who is ranked second in the bpost Bank Trofee, suffered from back problems in both Hasselt and Koksijde and underwent a treatment to loosen the muscles. "The back is better now I guess," he says on the website of his team. "I hope the pain is now over.”