Shoulder op for Backstedt

The 31-year-old collided with fellow Swedish rider Freddie Johansson last week, and although he was able to cycle again just a week after the accident, he requires surgery on a severely separated shoulder.

"I'm confident in the specialist who will carry out the operation," Backstedt announced on his website. He expects me to be in sling for about six weeks, which for us bike riders means about four."

"I will be back on the turbo trainer very quickly"

"The impact of the accident has caused the collarbone to become detached. It is not only pointing up, but also back into the trapezius muscle."

Backstedt has endured an injury-plagued season, though insisted the latest setback would prove only a minor one.

"I finished fourth at Roubaix in 2005 with a cracked bone in my wrist so this shouldn't present too many problems," he concluded.