Double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel has sustained multiple fractures after suffering a crash with a postal van while training in his native Belgium.
The 24-year-old rider has just completed his most successful season as a professional. As well as winning both time trial and road race gold at the Paris Olympics this summer, he finished third in this year’s Tour de France and won the time trial at September’s World Championship.
A statement from his team, Soudal Quick-Step, read: “Following an incident while training today, Remco Evenepoel was taken to hospital where it was revealed that he has sustained fractures to his rib, right shoulder blade and his right hand.”
On Tuesday afternoon, a spokesperson for Belgian national delivery service Bpost stated: “We confirm that an incident occurred this morning involving a bpost van and cyclist Remco Evenepoel.
“Unfortunately, we cannot go into the details of the accident, but it goes without saying that the postman and bpost are fully cooperating with the investigation. The police arrived on site to make the necessary observations. The postman also remained at the scene until Remco could be taken to hospital. She is extremely affected by the incident. We wish Remco a speedy recovery and we hope that the consequences for him will be kept to a minimum.”
Evenepoel had been riding a custom-made gold bike after his Olympic success, whose frame was split in two by the impact.
“Remco has pain in his shoulder and his hand,” Soudal-Quickstep manager Patrick Lefevere told Belgium website Sporza after the crash. “Our doctor is working on it. His bike broke in two in the incident, but it’s better to split his bike in two than his arm.”
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Evenepoel was the former captain of the Belgium Under-16 football team, before transitioning into a career in professional cycling after his release from Anderlecht. He also played for PSV’s academy in the Netherlands.
Back in 2020, as a 20-year-old in his second full season, Evenepoel suffered a terrifying crash at Il Lombardia, where he fell from around nine metres from a bridge into a ravine, fracturing his pelvis.
However, he rebounded to win his first Grand Tour, the Vuelta a Espana, in 2022.
Earlier this month, Evenepoel stated that his goal for 2025 would be the Tour de France, though did not rule out competing in the Giro d’Italia, which begins in May, and would be most at risk due to his injuries.
His third-place finish in the 2024 Tour came just three months after breaking his collarbone in a fall at the Itzulia Basque in April.
(Marco Bertorello/AFP via Getty Images)
