Remco Evenepoel says he is 'on his way back', after training outside for the first time since crashing out of the Itzulia Basque Country at the beginning of April.
After completing the 98.6km (61.3 miles) route – and apparently resisting the urge to round it up to 100 – he posted it on Strava and titled it 'On my way back', followed by a purple devil emoji and a more cryptic 'Soon on YOUTUBE'.
Underneath he wrote #RoadtoFrance – a reference of course to the Tour de France, which he is due to ride for the first time this July. He also has the eight-stage Critérium du Dauphiné marked in the diary at the beginning of June as a Tour warm-up.
The 24-year-old Soudal Quick-Step rider averaged 34.6kph (21.5mph) for the circular ride, which was relatively flat and took in landmark cycling towns Geraardsbergen and Ninove.
The Belgian former world champion and Vuelta winner broke his right collarbone and scapula in a horror crash on the fourth stage of the Basque race, which also claimed Jonas Vingegaard (Vimsa-Lease a Bike) and Primož Roglič (Bora-Hansgrohe) among its victims.
The crash took place on a sweeping downhill bend, with riders sliding out and hitting a drainage culvert. It was so severe that organisers neutralised the remaining 40km of the race – allowing the six-man break to continue to contest the finish, but with the peloton riding to the finish behind the commissaire's car. Times did not count towards the GC.
Roglič, who had been in the race lead, left the race to go to hospital but was pronounced free of fractures, but Vingegaard came off worst of all with a collapsed lung, a broken collarbone and several broken ribs. He only left hospital last week.
Up to the point where he crashed, Evenepoel had been enjoying a very promising start to the year, winning overall at the Volta ao Algarve stage race in Portugal in February, and following that up with second overall at Paris-Nice in March. He should now have ample time to regain his form for the Tour de France – something that does not look so clear-cut for Vingegaard, who ordinarily would be one of his big rivals at the French race.
