Five months after suffering a horrific crash on the opening stage of the Tour de Pollogne, Dutchman Fabio Jacobsen held his first press conference after joining his teammates at the Deceuninck-Quick Step team camp in Spain.

"It's hard to describe, but it's already great for me," Jacobsen said of his return to the team. [The crash] was one of the worst experiences of my life, and the weeks afterwards were the worst, too."

Jacobsen expressed optimism about returning to racing this season, but could not say when he would return to competition, as he still has to undergo surgery on his dental implants.

"I am already back on the bike. My first appointment is in February when I have my next surgery. We'll see how that surgery goes. If all goes well, I may be able to race again in a month or two. If there are complications, I may have to postpone. It's hard to decide on races and dates, but I'm hoping as soon as possible. That's what any rider coming back from an injury wants."

The road to recovery is long for the 24-year-old, who was elbowed by rival Dylan Groenewegen (Jumbo-Visma) in a high-speed sprint in Katowice on stage 1.

Jacobsen described the injury to Dutch journalist Thijs Zonneveld last month, saying, "Brain contusion. Skull fracture. Nose fractured. Palate cracked and torn. Ten teeth are missing. Part of the upper and lower jaw is missing. Cuts on the face. Large cut on the auricle. Broken thumb. Shoulder contusion. Lung contusion. Blows to the nerves of the vocal cords."

After several surgeries, Jacobsen said, "Slowly but steadily, I am feeling like a professional motorcycle rider again. I still have a long way to go, but I'm happy with where I'm at."

"I'm happy with where I'm at.

"Everyone here, especially the staff as well as the riders, have supported me and been very kind. It's a great motivation to be back.

"Now I'm back on the bike. I'm doing training rides with everyone here. It's not all rides, and sometimes we take shortcuts to the hotel, but the bike feels fine."

While Jacobsen rested, Sam Bennett emerged as the sport's top sprinter, winning the Tour de France green jersey and two stage wins.

"I am now on a team with the best sprinter of last year's Tour de France and the best sprinter of all time in the Tour. It's a great motivation for them to support me too," Jacobsen said.

"This team is like a family, we spend time with each other, we care about each other, and I would say we love each other in a positive way.