Niki Terpstra will be out for up to 12 weeks following a training crash, the Dutch cyclist's team Total-Direct Energie announced on Wednesday.

Terpstra, a winner of the Paris-Roubaix and Tour of Flanders classics, was helicoptered to hospital on Tuesday after falling near Lelystad in central Netherlands, reportedly after swerving to avoid hitting some geese.

"His heavy fall made him lose consciousness. He suffers from a head trauma, a broken collarbone and a back bruise," said team doctor Hubert Long.

"He is still on intensive care, but he will be able to go home in two or three days. For this type of significant trauma, the period of unavailability is 10 to 12 weeks."

Terpstra will miss the restart to the cycling season and the rescheduled Tour de France, set to take place between August 29 and September 20.

The 36-year-old's accident is not the first time he has had a bad fall.

Last year he suffered a heavy concussion when crashing in the Tour of Flanders only to then fracture a shoulder blade after crashing in the Tour de France, forcing him to abandon the race.