Remco Evenepoel has suffered multiple fractures after crashing with a postal vehicle while training in his native Belgium.
Evenepoel was hit by the door of a Bpost vehicle in Oetingen, 15 miles west of Brussels, and landed hard on the ground. The double Olympic champion was conscious but suffered injuries to his ribs, shoulder and hand on his right side. He was helped into an ambulance before being taken to hospital in Anderlecht.
Images showed his gold coloured bike lying on the road with the frame snapped in half.
“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,” a Soudal-QuickStep statement said.
Team manager Patrick Lefevere added: “Remco has pain in his shoulder and his hand. Our doctor is working on it. His bike broke in two in that incident. But it’s better to split his bike in two than his arm.”
The 24-year-old is one of the best road racers in the world and enjoyed a stunning summer, finishing on the podium of the Tour de France before clinching emphatic gold in both the time trial and road race at the Paris Olympics. However he and the rest of the peloton were powerless to stop Tadej Pogacar from surging to World Championship glory in September.
Evenepoel, who rides for Belgian team Soudal Quick-Step, is expected to make a bid for the Giro d’Italia in May, the grand tour which Pogacar is least likely to race in 2025. But injury could now disrupt his winter training programme ahead of the new season.
His father, Patrick Evenepoel, had initially told Het Nieuwsblad: “We are still on our way, but we don’t know much more ourselves. He was taken to the Erasmus hospital in Anderlecht under the supervision of an MUG [Medical Urgency Group] team. He has already sent us a message, so we hope everything is OK. From what I hear, he fell after colliding with the swinging door of a Bpost truck.”
