Back surgery for Chavanel

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.