Successful surgery for Cancellara's quadruple collarbone fracture

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Fabian Cancellara's surgery has shown that he suffered a quadruple fracture of the collarbone. The RadioShack-Nissan rider has undergone a successful operation Sunday evening in Basel, Switzerland. Sebastian Langeveld (GreenEdge) will have surgery today for his broken collarbone, also sustained at the Tour of Flanders.

Cancellara crashed over a water bottle about 60 km before the finish of Sunday's race and was initially reported to have suffered a triple collarbone fracture.

RadioShack-Nissan spokesman Tim Vanderjeugd said the fourth fracture was very small and would not affect his treatment. The bone was bolted in the surgery. "It is a new method, which allows a much faster recovery,” thanks to a smaller incision.

Theoretically, Cancellara could be back training on the rollers as early as Tuesday. "That's true, medically speaking, but he will surely take his time to recover and stay off the bike for a few days or maybe a week. His spring is over anyway,” Vanderjeugd added.

Langeveld will undergo surgery today on the collarbone he broke in a dramatic accident Sunday – an accident he admitted he doesn't remember.

The GreenEdge rider rode into a spectator at full speed, whilst descending the New Kwaremont. "It was really hard, more than 60 kilometers per hour. I decided to divert to the bicycle path and what happened then, I can't remember,” he told the Algemeen Dagblad.

"I immediately wanted to go on, but I quickly felt that that it was really bad."