Lott Soudal announced Thursday that there is "some optimism" about the condition of Gerben Theisen, who suffered head, rib, and collarbone fractures in a collision with another player at Ghent Six Day.

The 21-year-old was knocked unconscious in a speeding collision with 19-year-old Oliver Wolf Frederiksen in the season opener at Madison. After being treated behind a privacy screen set up in the infield of the circuit, he was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was diagnosed with three small hemorrhages on the brain

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He was admitted to the intensive care unit overnight, and today the Lot Soudal team said he was able to have a "small conversation" with his family.

Thyssen's teammates during the race spoke of a more positive outlook. Moreno de Pauw told Het Nieuwsblad, "Gerben will have no after-effects from the fall. 'I called his mother and I got a positive message from his girlfriend, Shari Vosuyi. It's very encouraging. I can't get the image of him lying completely on the course out of my mind. Gerben is also a friend. You know that accidents can always happen, but it's still intense."

After Thyssen's crash, the racers were so shocked that the organizers cancelled the rest of the opening night program, but after the second day, the Ghent Six Day racers eagerly continued racing.

"Everyone was shocked, but we are running at full speed again. If we had to restrain ourselves, Gerben would be angry," Kenny de Ketele told Het Nieuwsblad.

Lotto-Soudal riders have had some bad luck in recent years. The team is still mourning the death of Björg Lambrecht, who died in an accident on stage 3 of the Tour de Pollogne in August.

The Belgian team has two riders, Stig Broeks and Chris Beckmanns, who were mortally injured in the 2016 Tour of Baloise Belgium and 2015 Vuelta a España, respectively. Broeks was in a coma for more than six months but recovered to the point where he could ride casually. Beckmanns was in a coma for two weeks due to multiple injuries, but returned to racing the following season.

Tosh van der Sande, who competed in the Jasper de Baist and Ghent Six Day, said that on a technical course like the steep 166m gradient of 't Kuipke, mistakes happen suddenly.

"I was shocked," he said. I had enough experience in Lot Soudal with the deaths of Chris Beckmans, Stig Broeks, and especially Björg Lambrecht. It happened again."

Mark Cavendish slipped and fell in a turn during a one-lap team time trial with partner Iljo Caisse.

Cavendish took the night off but returned to racing on Wednesday. He said the cause of the crash was "complicated."

"I had a new position on the bike, but when I came out of the corner the ride height was too low and I couldn't get the bike back up," he told Het Nieuwsblad. I'm sorry, but fortunately it wasn't serious. I had a concussion and since then I've been afraid of falling. But I had a good night and it was only a graze."

He said he intends to keep fighting for the overall win despite the damage from the crash.

"I'm really going to give it everything, I was moved when I saw my picture in 't Kuipke after winning in 2016, it's what I dreamed of when I was little, when I ran here in U23, it's what I dreamed of when I was a little kid, it's what I dreamed of when I was a little kid. So I'm not giving up."

World champions Roger Kluge and Theo Reinhardt lead the race with 59 points after the second night, one lap ahead of de Ketele and Rob Giese, who have 91 points. Cavendish and Keith are back in fifth place with 58 points, one lap behind the leaders.

On the second night, another dramatic crash occurred in the Paralympic "G-Sport" event when Chris Bosmans and Diederik Scherfhout went over the upper railing and crashed into the stands. Bosmans underwent surgery for a compound fracture of the femur and Scherfhout fractured a vertebra. One spectator was injured in the accident.