Arndt undergoes spinal surgery, Merlier resumes training after Classic Brugge-De Panne crash

The final kilometres of the men's Classic Brugge-De Panne took many victims as numerous crashes rippled through the peloton.

A laundry list of riders suffered injuries ranging from contusions and cuts to a collapsed lung and fractured ribs suffered by Lionel Taminiaux.

Now, Bahrain Victorious have announced that their rider Nikias Arndt will be out of action for the coming months after the German got caught up in the carnage, suffering a fractured vertebra in the process.

"Nikias Arndt sustained an unstable vertebral fracture with no neurological symptoms after the crash at the Classic Brugge-De Panne," the team announced on Thursday. "He underwent successful spinal surgery today in Belgium.

"Over the next few days, Nikias will increase his mobility, work on his recovery at home, and we hope to see him back on the bike in the next two months."

Bahrain Victorious will be led by their usual Classics pairing of Fred Wright and Matej Mohorič at the upcoming races through the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.

The injury means that Arndt has been ruled out of the remainder of the Spring Classics, while several others who also went down at the Classic Brugge-De Panne will also miss upcoming races.

Edward Theuns (Lidl-Trek) and Milan Fretin (Cofidis) were both slated to ride at Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday, but both men have been removed from their team lineups for the race.

Theuns, who recently won the Bredene Koksijde Classic, suffered road rash, significantly on his hands, while Fretin suffered a mild concussion and also had road rash over his body.

Soudal-QuickStep sprinter Tim Merlier was one of the favourites for the race, but he was another caught up in the falls, going down in a mass crash 1km from the finish.

The European champion suffered abrasions on his right-hand side, also sustaining a cut under his right knee, which required stitches. His participation at Gent-Wevelgem, where he'd be a co-leader for his team, is currently up in the air.

Soudal-QuickStep have yet to make any announcements or give updates on Merlier's condition, but he did complete a three-hour, 107km training ride on Thursday.

Classics veteran Yves Lampaert and up-and-coming French racer Paul Magnier will line up for the team at Gent-Wevelgem, but a fit and in-form Merlier would add another dimension to the team in a race that favours the fast finishers.