Victor Kampenaerts, one of the cornerstones of Lotto Destony's classic campaign, will be out for the next two months and will miss all remaining spring classics. The 31-year-old suffered a major crash in Friday's Breden Koksijde Classic and fractured a lumbar vertebra, his team announced.

Campenaerts was in the middle of the pack with 53 km to go when he drifted backwards as his team tried to split the race in a crosswind. On a narrow section of pavement with a deep crack running down the middle, the Intermarché Circus Wanty rider shifted to avoid getting into a rut and hit Hugo Hofstetter (Alcare Sumsic). The contact sent Hofstetter crashing, and the crash caused a ripple effect in the peloton.

When the dust cleared, Kampenaerts was clearly at his worst and could be seen writing in pain on the ground as other crash victims stood up.

"Of course I am very sorry to miss the Spring Classic at Lot Dostny," he said. 'Everyone saw that we started the season in good form and I was hoping to continue that good run in the coming classics.'

"Unfortunately, I will now have to chase it from home. I am confident that my teammates will have a great run in the coming weeks and I will be their biggest supporter on the couch."

Kampenaerts crashed twice in Thursday's Dunain GP, his third crash in two days. Hofstetter also crashed twice in yesterday's race, breaking two sets of Bianchi handlebars in the process. Hofstetter also crashed twice in yesterday's race, breaking two sets of Bianchi handlebars in the process.

In 2022, Kampenaerts competed in 12 Spring Classics from Omloop Het Nieuwsblad to Paris-Roubaix, with his best result being 4th in Dwars door Vlaanderen.