Massive injuries at Remco Evenepoel
"After a terrible accident in training yesterday, I had an operation last night and everything went well," Evenepoel writes on his Instagram-account. The list of his injuries is long. "With a rib fracture, a shoulder blade fracture, a hand fracture, bruises in my lungs and a dislocation of my right collarbone, in which all the surrounding ligaments were torn, it will be a long road, but I am fully focussed on my recovery and am determined to come back stronger step by step," continues the 24-year-old.
At this point, you will find external content that complements the article. You can display and hide it with a click.
According to his racing team Soudal - Quick Step, a plan for Evenepoel's return to training will be drawn up after two weeks of rest. The 2022 Vuelta a Espana winner also thanked everyone who had helped him, his wife and his family.
Collision with post bus
In the accident, which occurred in Oetingen in Flemish Brabant, Evenepoel collided with a vehicle belonging to the Belgian postal service Bpost, company spokesman Mathieu Goedefroy told Sporza confirmed. "Unfortunately, we cannot say anything about the details of the accident." They want to "cooperate fully with the investigation." The postwoman is "deeply saddened" by the accident. "We wish Remco a speedy recovery and hope that the consequences for him will be limited," said the spokesperson. The injured professional cyclist himself expressed his support for the postwoman in his Instagram post.
One of the few eyewitnesses to the accident is also Sporza quoted. According to the report, the postwoman opened the door of her car and Evenepoel drove into it, explained Bart De Pelseneer, owner of a butcher's shop near the scene of the accident. "People were immediately there to help. The manager of a café sat Remco down on a chair, put a jacket on him and gave him something to drink as he looked like he was going to faint." However, this did not happen. "But it was clear that he was in a lot of pain," explained De Pelseneer. The postwoman was very upset by the accident. According to the eyewitness, she was initially unable to find her car documents in the excitement. Evenepoel's golden Specialized racing bike also broke in two in the crash. "They then really folded the bike up like a wheelchair and put it in Oumi's (Remco Evenepoel's wife; editor's note) car," says De Pelseener, describing the situation.
Patrick Lefevere speaks out
Team boss Patrick Lefevere commented on Tuesday evening to Sporza on his protégé's accident: "In any case, we shouldn't panic in view of his goals," said the 69-year-old, adding: "It's never ideal, but if it has to happen, better now than in three months' time."
It was not the first injury-related setback in Evenepoel's career. In 2020, the Belgian had suffered a pelvic fracture in a crash at the Tour of Lombardy. In 2024 he was in the Mass crash at the Tour of the Basque Country in which Jonas Vingegaard was also seriously injured. Evenepoel himself suffered fractures to his shoulder blade and collarbone.
