Eduardo Prades broke his leg in a skiing accident and will not make his Team Delco debut for at least three months.

The Spanish rider, who joined the team from Movistar, broke his femur in a crash on the snow this week.

He underwent surgery, which is said to have been successful, but will be on the sidelines for an estimated three months.

Prades was an important signing for the French team as they enter a winter of change. They lost their sponsors, Nippo and Provence, and many of their riders to the EF Education team. In addition, Cyclingnews exposed a series of allegations about non-payment of salaries and bullying, which the team denies.

Prades, 33, will enter the World Tour in 2019 with Movistar after stints with Caja Rural and Euskadi Murias, followed by wins at the Tour of Turkey and Tour of Norway. He won stages at the Vuelta Aragon and Tour de la Provence with the team, but was not offered a contract renewal for 2021.

His season was interrupted first by a pandemic and then by a crash at the Tour de Pollogne that fractured his spine.

With few options at the World Tour level, he decided to sign with Team Delco, a second division professional team.

Team manager Philippe Lanne said, "He has a competitive spirit and has the profile of a leader on a professional team rather than a helper on the World Tour."

However, the team lost a player it assumed would bring many wins. Prades was scheduled to race Paris-Nice in March, but not until April at the earliest.