# Arnaud De Lie Successfully Undergoes Collarbone Surgery After Crash
Arnaud De Lie, the Lotto Dstny cyclist, has successfully undergone surgery on his left collarbone at the Herentals hospital in Belgium following a serious crash during the opening stage of the 4 Jours de Dunkerque. The incident occurred on Tuesday, resulting in multiple injuries that required immediate medical attention.
The young cyclist experienced a significant crash in a bunch sprint, which led to the fracturing of his left collarbone, a rib, and his sternum. Additionally, he faced a pneumothorax and numerous abrasions. De Lie was initially treated in a French hospital for two nights before being transferred to Herentals, where he underwent the surgery on Friday.
Team doctor Ronald Sneijers commented on the procedure: “The surgery has been successful but Arnaud will stay one more night in hospital because of the pneumothorax. Saturday, he will return home and start his recovery. It will take some time before he can get back on the bike, however. Next week, there will be a check-up of the pneumothorax in hospital.”
While the surgery went well, Sneijers emphasized that it is still too early to predict when De Lie will return to competitive cycling. “Arnaud doesn’t have one fracture, but multiple ones,” he explained. “Taking everything into account, we expect him to be out of competition for at least six weeks. Definitely with the pneumothorax we need to be careful; also the sternum will take time to heal. We monitor his condition carefully and are not taking any risks before his return to racing. The number one priority will be to let the injuries heal, then we will start thinking about the races.”
De Lie’s recovery journey will be a gradual one, as he focuses on healing before resuming his cycling career.
