Gianni Moscon requires surgery after breaking wrist doing 'balance exercises' in gym

Gianni Moscon's preparations for the 2018 season have been disrupted after breaking his wrist in an accident while doing "balance exercises" in the gym

The Team Sky rider had surgery on his wrist after breaking his left scaphoid in an accident last Monday, and hopes that he won't be off work for too long.

"It was a stupid accident," Moscon told Italian newspaper Gazzetto dello Sport. "I was doing exercises for balance and fell. Usually you would not do anything. It just seemed to be a bump, then the wrist began to swell. I went for an x-ray and they spotted the fracture."

The 23-year-old went under the knife on Wednesday, and looked on the bright side with the timing of the injury.

"I had surgery on Wednesday and all went well," he continued. "If it had to happen, then better that it happens now while I was only doing workouts."

Watch: Tour de France 2018 route guide

Moscon enjoyed a successful second season in the professional ranks, and hopes to be back on his bike before Christmas as he builds towards a third year at Team Sky.

The Italian has impressed many with his performances throughout the season, including finishing fifth in Paris-Roubaix, third in Il Lombardia, and sixth in the individual time trial at the World Championships in Bergen. He has also produced valuable domestique performances, working hard as part of Chris Froome's victory at the Vuelta a España.

However Moscon has also been at the centre of a number of controversies over the course of the season, including being sidelined for six weeks by his team after being accused of racially abusing FDJ rider Kevin Reza at the Tour de Romandie in April.

More recently he was disqualified from the road race at the World Championships for holding on to a team car and was also accused of deliberately causing Sebastien Reichenbach to fall off his bike at the Tre Valli Varesine, with Reichenbach appealing for footage of the crash and considering whether to take legal action.

The young Italian rider is coming to the end of a two year contract with Team Sky, but is understood to have signed a new deal with the British squad.