Edward Theuns (Trek-Segafredo) had successful surgery on his back Sunday morning, but he is expected to miss the rest of the season.
The 25-year-old crashed on a high-speed descent during the Tour de France time trial on Friday, and suffered a compressed fracture of the T12 vertebra.
He was airlifted to Ghent on Saturday and underwent surgery the next day. The operation was necessary because the fracture was unstable.
As to when he may return to action, "It is still too early to tell. A break in the spine will certainly take a few weeks of rehabilitation," said team spokesman Tim Vanderjeugd.
"The rehabilitation will require time and there won’t be any question of cycling for a long time. It could well be that he doesn’t return to action any more this season, but it is still too early to make definitive decisions about it. "
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