Caroline Buchanan is hopeful of finally being back on her bike by the start of July after having surgery to re-align her sternum with a plate and 12 screws.

Buchanan and her doctors had hoped her sternum would heal naturally after a crash that almost killed her at the end of last year.

But the two-time Olympian had a plate inserted last week four months after the incident that broke her nose, sternum, collapsed her lungs and led to dangerous bleeding around the heart.

"Today I go under the knife again to get my chest cut open, sternum re-aligned and plated with 6 screws," Buchanan said on Twitter.

"Another 6-8 weeks recovery and all going well il have 2 wheels back underneath me!

"We where hoping this was going to heal naturally but with the severity of the displacement, I have to have this surgery for my long term health and riding career!"

Buchanan will miss the bulk of the 2018 season as she continues her recovery, but was remarkably still smiling in hospital after being cut open to fast-track her return.

Buchanan is an eight-time world champion and is determined to get back to her best as she sets her sights on competing at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020.

She has been working with AIS medical staff and rehabilitation officers to help her get back as soon as possible, describing the ordeal as "my biggest challenge yet".

Buchanan opened up about her ongoing recovery and the emotional journey to try to get back on her bike.

"I'm happy that situation wasn't any worse and I've got opportunities to continue my career and ... to just live," Buchanan said earlier this year.

"When life is so fast, you don't always appreciate little things. I remember sitting in hospital and watching the sunset. It's just genuine gratefulness.

"I know I survived that accident. So in a way I know the forces involved in that accident can never happen on a bike. I know the limit for my body, I know I can heal. Which I guess makes my sport a bit easier now.

"I definitely got that sense of you're not invincible ... humans are fragile. And I thrive on adversity, it lights a fire in me."