UPDATE: Nicolas Debeaumarché suffered multiple broken vertebraes

Victim of a nasty fall during Wednesday's third stage of Tour de Pologne, Nicolas Debeaumarché was brought to hospital in Poland where several broken vertebraes were diagnosed to the Cofidis rider. He'll soon travel to France where his injuries will be treated, his team informs in a press release.

Debeaumarché looks back at his crash in the same press communication: "Of course, it's hard to live with. I have three broken vertebrae, I don't feel great and I'm going to have a long time before I'm fully recovered. Afterwards, I know that I was pretty lucky in my misfortune. It could have been worse: I could have remained paralyzed and/or just stayed there..."

"I had managed to join the breakaway, we were in a good group and we were clearly riding a notch above. On a descent, I was in the wheel of Andrea Bagioli and I slipped off the front wheel. I thought I could catch up but I went straight down. Then, I fell into a sort of ditch that had a concrete wall. But I don't have a precise memory of the impact, I only have in mind the feeling I had when I hit the ground."

"A fraction of a second later, I was very scared because I couldn't feel anything in my body. I quickly understood that it was serious. When the peloton passed, a car took care of me. The race medical team and the organizers did a great job. Of course, it seemed very long to me, but they quickly intervened."

"I was transferred to a hospital in Polanica-Zdrój, on the border between Poland and the Czech Republic. They carried out several examinations which were supervised by the Cofidis team doctor present at my side, Frédéric Maton. The neurosurgeon accepted this morning the principle of a transfer to France where I will be operated on. This is good news even if we have to validate all the procedures with the insurance. It is still too early to know the duration of my immobilization and my rehabilitation. In any case, I would like to sincerely thank my loved ones, the Cofidis doctors and the entire team for their support," he concludes.