"I told him not to panic now. I pointed out to him that he can still tell the story and that he will come back stronger" - Father Florian Vermeersch about rehabilitation

Florian Vermeersch has successfully undergone surgery in Spain for his fractured femur, sustained in Saturday's Vuelta Ciclista a la Region de Murcia. The 24-year-old cyclist is now back in Belgium. He will be examined again in the Herentals hospital, Het Nieuwsblad reports.

Vermeersch is expected to be out of action for about six months. And all this after a crash on the descent of the Bermejo climb. Vermeersch fell at the beginning of the descent. He went over a guardrail and ended up in the ravine, Lotto Dstny team leader Dirk previously told Het Laatste Nieuws. "When I saw Florian lying there, I immediately knew it was serious."

The classics specialist faces a long rehabilitation, but his father Noël is optimistic. "I told him not to panic now. I pointed out to him that he can still tell the story and that he will come back stronger. It is crucial that his leg does not move. The femur must not touch the shin, otherwise this will be detrimental to the rehabilitation," Het Nieuwsblad quotes.

"The good news is that Florian has a horizontal fracture, which is beneficial for his recovery. We take six months of recovery into account. If he comes back sooner, that's a bonus. I already know we're going to have to slow him down. I know him. He'll want to come back soon. That's going to happen too. But that takes time. It's that simple. I'm two hundred percent sure he'll come back stronger. On condition that he strictly follows the rehabilitation."