Sylvain Chavanel has undergone surgery for a herniated disk in his back. The French rider must now rest for several weeks before resuming training.
Quick Step said that he was operated on “using a nucleotomy technique to remove a herniated disk at the L5 S1 level."
“It’s already been a while that I’ve been suffering with this problem, which bothered me both on my bike and in my daily life,” Chavanel said. “The team medical staff and I first agreed to try some conservative therapies which didn’t solve the problem. At that point I needed the operation.
“Now I’ll have to observe a period of rest. The goal is to get back on a bike in a few weeks.”
Chavanel, 32, is current French national road champion. This year he finished second in the Tour of Flanders and wore the leader's red jersey at the Vuelta a Espana for four days.
Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*
Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read any 5 articles for free in each 30-day period, this automatically resets
After your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59
Join now for unlimited access
Try your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1