Image 1 of 4 Gianni Moscon (Team Sky) at Tre Valli Varesine (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com) Image 2 of 4 Gianni Moscon (Team Sky) (Image credit: Team Sky) Image 3 of 4 Gianni Moscon (Italy) (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com) Image 4 of 4 Gianni Moscon ahead of an angry Alexis Vuillermoz (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)

Gianni Moscon’s controversial year has ended with an injury that will delay his preparations for the 2018 season. The TeamSky rider fractured his left scaphoid in an accident at the gym on Monday.

He described it to La Gazzetta dello Sport as “a trivial accident. I was doing exercises for balance and I fell. Usually you do not do anything, it just seemed to be a bump, then the wrist began to swell.”

He had surgery on the fracture on Wednesday, and “it all went well. If it had to happen, then better at this time when I was only doing workouts.”

Although recovery time is said to be 40 days, the 23-year-old Italian hopes to be back on the bike in four weeks.

Moscon’s 2016 season included many top finishes, but also controversies. He was disciplined by the team after racially abusing FDJ’s Kevin Reza, and was later accused of forcing another FDJ rider to crash. He was also disqualified from the World Championship road race after receiving a long tow from the Italian team car.