Fabio Jakobsen admits he is grateful to still be alive after being placed in a medically induced coma following a major crash during the Tour of Poland.
The Deceuninck-QuickStep rider was airlifted to hospital and required facial surgery after a high-speed collision with fellow Dutchman Dylan Groenewegen in the final sprint of stage one on 5 August.
The 23-year-old issued a statement on Tuesday thanking the on-site medical team for saving his life.
"It is now two weeks after my crash in Poland," he said. "The trauma doctors and nurses at the finish line in Katowice saved my life, for which I am extremely grateful to them.
"I spent a week in the intensive care unit at St Barbara hospital in Sosnowiec. Here they immediately operated on me for five hours and gave me the chance to live. I am very grateful to all employees of this hospital.
"I want to let everyone know that I am very grateful that I am still alive. All the messages and words of support have given me tremendous strength.
"Step by step I can slowly look to the future, and I will fight to recover."
Jakobsen revealed the next stages of his recovery will include a number of further procedures and he aims to "live more independently".
"It was a difficult, dark period for me in the ICU, where I was afraid of not surviving," he added.
"Step by step I can start to live more independently. Currently I am at home, where the wounds in my face and my injuries can continue to recover.
"In addition, I have to rest a lot in the coming months because of a severe concussion. In the coming weeks and months, I will undergo multiple surgeries and treatments to fix facial injuries."
Jakobsen crashed over a barrier and into a race official after Groenewegen had drifted across the road into his path during a sprint finish.
Groenewegen crossed the finish line first, but was later disqualified and the 27-year-old's action was condemned by cycling's governing body.
