Tom Boonen on the road to recovery from fractured skull

Tom Boonen made his first public appearance since crashing out of the Abu Dhabi Tour in October. The Belgian was promoting his Boonen and Friends Charity Cyclocross event and he went into detail about his recovery.

"Things are going well after my crash," the 35-year-old said.

"When I came back home from Abu Dhabi I was tired and in pain, but day by day I began feeling better and now everything is heading into the right direction."

The four-time Paris-Roubaix winner has renewed for one year with Etixx - Quick-Step, which does raise questions about his future beyond the end of 2016.

He could follow in the footsteps of long-time Classics rival Fabian Cancellara by bowing out at the end of next season. Both riders will be hoping to add to their Monuments tallies but their time at the top may have already gone.

Speaking about his left temporal bone fracture, Boonen said: "It's a difficult fracture, but it's healing well, even if I can't compare it with any of the other fractures I've had."

The first Etixx training camp is due to take place in a couple of weeks in Denia, Spain. Despite still being on the road to recovery, Boonen will be joining the team.

"I can't wait for the training camp to be underway," he said.

"I miss the guys, the staff, that great feeling that I have when I'm with the whole team. Denia will be perfect to outline my schedule and start focusing on 2016."