"I think he has already been punished enough" - Tim Wellens defends Filip Maciejuk as UCI investigate further sanctions

After going down in a horrific crash caused by Filip Maciejuk at the Tour of Flanders, Tim Wellens suffered numerous injury including four breaks in his collarbone but now, as the UCI investigate the possibility of further sanctions against the Bahrain - Victorious rider, Wellens has come out in his defence.

“That was of course not a smart move on his part. But I think Maciejuk has already been punished enough on social media,” the 31-year-old Belgian tells Het Nieuwsblad. "I don't know the Pole from Bahrain Victorious personally, but I suppose he would have given his collarbone not to be the cause of this massive crash."

“Today I had a teammate on the phone and he had a different opinion. He felt that Maciejuk cannot be punished hard enough. However, it makes little difference to me," the UAE Team Emirates rider continues. "My collarbone remains broken as well. I am taking my time to rebuild. My next race will probably be the Tour of Switzerland (June 11-18).”

This comes after news emerged that cycling's governing body, the UCI are investigating whether or not to impose further sanctions of Maciejuk after he was disqualified from Sunday's race. “We want to set an example,” said UCI coordinator Peter Van Den Abeele to Sporza. “His maneuver was absolutely not done. You may never jeopardize the safety of your fellow riders."