UAE tour winner Renato van Etwert was lucky to avoid being seriously injured after being struck by a driver during training in Tenerife this week.

The Belgian has been back in fitness since early May 3, having missed Volta A Catalunya in the process.

On Thursday, he had completed his first long endurance training ride since suffering a knee problem early this spring. But his 7-hour ride and the rest of his training camp were largely confused by the driver who beat him on the descent later in his ride.

Van Eetvelt explained to Instagram what had happened, showing a nasty cut to his chin, a video of the aftermath of the incident, and the damage caused to his bike.

"My first 7-hour ride since my knee problem was almost over, and I was struck from behind by a car that was trying to 'pass me' on the descent," Van Eetvelt wrote, "I'm really happy to be able to leave without leaving the road and seriously injured."

Van Eetvelt, who turned pro at Lotto-Dstny last season, enjoyed a very strong start until 2024 and won the Trofeo Serratramuntana at the season-opening challenge Mallorca.

Then he won a big overall victory on the UAE tour, winning in the final stage at Jebel Hafeet, leading Ben O'Connor to victory in 2 seconds.

His 11th place at Strade Bianche marked the last race of the spring before a knee problem occurred and used too much of what was likely to be the cause of his trouble.

"When my knee problem first started, I was disappointed not to start in Catalonia," Van Etwert continued. "In the last few weeks I've been happy to ride a little bike. Now I'm just happy to be alive. It's interesting how fast these things change.

Van Eetvelt said he would take a few days off his bike "to recover and enjoy the little things of life" and thanked him for avoiding serious fractures.

"There should have been a post today about how my recovery was going, how much support I had gained in the last few months, what it meant to me, and how I was looking forward to meeting my teammates again and starting the race as soon as possible.

"Now I will take a few days off to recover and enjoy the little things in life. But don't worry, I'll be back. The answer to how long is that I don't know yet."