Quick Step team manager Patrick Lefebvre put final contract negotiations with Mark Cavendish on hold, saying "other things are our priority right now."

Cavendish crashed heavily after a rider slipped in the water, causing a high-speed ripple in the group of riders vying for the last Madison. Cavendish suffered two ribs and a collapsed lung and was taken to the ICU at Ghent Hospital.

Cavendish was scheduled to meet with Lefebvier on Monday at the team's service course headquarters in Wevelgem to finalize details and sign a one-year contract for the 2022 season, but Lefebvier wanted Cavendish to rest and recover before worrying about a new contract. He hoped that Cavendish would be able to rest and recover before worrying about a new contract.

"You don't ask someone who is injured to sign a contract," he said.

"That contract is not going away. It's been dragging on for so long that extending it a few weeks won't make any difference."

"Other things are my priority right now. Fortunately, I have no injuries to my femur or collarbone," he told Het Nieuwsblad.

"Mark's new contract is ready. It won't happen right away, but only after he is fully recovered. He always promised me that he would not run away."

Cavendish won four stages and the green jersey at the Tour de France after rebuilding his career with Detuning-Quick Step in 2021. He battled Epstein-Barr syndrome and depression and nearly quit the sport in 2020, but a return to the Belgian team reignited his career.

His contract negotiations with Lefebvre were protracted, but he decided to stay with the team to become known as Quick Step Alpha Vinyl in 2022.

Lefebvre announced in September that they had reached an agreement on wages and bonuses, but the two sides remained stuck with Cavendish's desire to move into management, which could lead to his retirement after the 2022 season.

"Mark Cavendish thinks his image is valuable, but I also think about the image of the team," Lefebvre said. 'When I ask him what he wants to do, he says he wants to learn by watching me. But do I have to pay someone to learn?"

The deal appears to have been agreed, but Cavendish's crash delayed the exchange of pen and paper.

"I'm not going to drop the mark. We are not going to drop Mark. We are his team and we will take care of him," Lefevere told Het Laaste Nieuws, explaining how he offered to help Cavendish when he finally left the hospital in Ghent.

"Peta [Cavendish's wife] was here yesterday in two cars. I wanted to send Joe Prancato to England, but she said that was not necessary. She drove her own car home and returned by train to bring Mark back. We have agreed that we will contact him again when he is somewhat better."