The accident that injured Deceuninck Quickstep drivers Remi Cavagna and Mauri Vansevenan was caused by a Belgian driver.

22-year-old Remi Cavagna returned to Belgium and was fitted with a brace for his broken thumb, while Cavagna is in the IMSKE Hospital in Valencia with a fractured L1 vertebra.

According to Het Laatste Nieuws, the Frenchman is expected to undergo surgery on Monday, but no neurological damage has been seen.

"Unlike Remi, the damage is not that bad overall and there is no need for him to undergo surgery," Vansevenin said.

Initial reports gave few details of the crash, but as with Androni Giocattoli's Brandon Rojas, Juan Diego Alba, and Martí Vigo crashes, the Quick Step riders were brought down by bad drivers.

"We had just taken a group photo in our new 2022 outfits and were on a slightly downhill two-lane course. 'Suddenly, a small car came from a side street onto the main road, ignoring the right-of-way rule. We had to brake, but the three riders, including myself and Remi, were unable to avoid crashing."

"The car was so fast that it was impossible to avoid the crash.

He said the injury, which will take three to four weeks to heal, is unpleasant, but there is a bright side.