Laurens De Plus is confident that he will come back stronger than before after fracturing his pelvis and sacrum when he and teammate Petr Vakoc were hit by a passing truck while training in South Africa last month.
The 22-year-old made great strides in 2017, his second season as a professional with Quick-Step Floors, and finished his first Grand Tour, the Giro d'Italia, in 24th place overall. In his final race of the season, De Plus was off the front of Il Lombardia, chasing the lone leader Mikel Cherel on the descent of the Sormano when he overcooked a bend, rode into the guard rail and flipped into the ravine.
That heart-stopping crash in full view of the television cameras could have been worse. Although in the moment he feared that the crash could end his career or his life, De Plus escaped with just a small fracture to his right knee. The outcome of the incident in South Africa could also have been worse for De Plus, and indeed it was for Vakoc, who had to undergo surgery to stabilize fractures to several vertebrae.
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De Plus said the recent crash was disappointing, because he had only just began to feel good again after his previous injury.
"It is tough mentally being side-lined already again after my crash in Il Lombardia," De Plus wrote in a blog on his team's website. "I had good feelings coming into the altitude training camp. No doubt it is a huge setback. But what can I do about it other than keeping my head high and stay positive? That is what I have in mind to do.
"This kind of accident is something you don't wish for anybody to experience but the good thing about it is that I know I am capable of coming back, mentally and physically. That is something I take with me into the road to recovery I have ahead of me. I know I will come back stronger than before."
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
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