Lemko Evenpoel said he is hoping to return to racing in mid-April following a training crash last week in which he suffered multiple fractures.

Belgian Lemko Evenpoel broke his ribs, scapula, and right hand when he was doored by the driver of a mail van. He underwent surgery immediately after the accident and his Soudal-QuickStep team reported that he would remain “immobilized for two weeks.”

The team, minus Evenpoel, is currently in Spain for a preseason training camp. Meanwhile, double Olympic champion Evenpoel spoke to “Studio Brussel” on Wednesday about his recovery. [According to Het Nieuwsblad, “I can't do anything for a month. On January 6 we will do another scan to make sure everything is growing properly.”

“Only then can we make new plans.

Evenpoel added that he hopes to return to racing in mid-April. He said it would be “difficult” to take on the Giro d'Italia in May.

“At the moment, I'm aiming for mid-April to really get back into competition. The Giro d'Italia will probably be difficult, but we'll see.”

Evenpoel was first taken to Erasmus Hospital in Anderlecht after the December 3 accident, and then transferred to a hospital in Herental. He reported that the surgery “went well” but that he is recovering “one day at a time” as the road to recovery is still long and it will be several months before he returns to the peloton.

“The painkillers are working, but I've broken a lot of bones. The surgery at Herentals went well. I'm taking it one day at a time,” Evenpole said. [I wake up in pain, especially at night. In the morning, I wake up very tired, partly because of the painkillers. But that's what happens after a serious injury.”