Remco Evenepoel was the victim of a fall during training on Tuesday morning in the town of Gooik, northwest of Brussels, and taken to hospital, according to several Belgian media which published images of the Belgian cyclist from Soudal Quick-Step team supported by paramedics.
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The manager of the Belgian team Patrick Lefevere, who spoke to Belgian television Sporza, confirmed that his rider, who was training alone, suffers from “pain in the shoulder and one hand” and that “the doctors take care of it.”
Lefevere, who did not specify the nature of the injuries, indicated that the double Olympic champion had not been able to avoid the open door of a Belgian post vehicle (which was confirmed by the latter).
“ Accidents like this unfortunately happen five times a day, people don’t pay attention and open their doors “, he continued, adding that the bike of the third in the last Tour de France “ broke in two » under the violence of the shock.
“ But it’s better that it’s his bike than his arm “, he said again.
Images published on social networks show the 2022 world champion, conscious but “very pale” according to witnesses to the accident, being placed in a sitting position on a stretcher. The frame of the bicycle is cut in two.
“ Remco was transferred to the Erasme hospital in Anderlecht (in the Brussels region, editor’s note). We’re still waiting to see how he’s doing. We’re on our way to the hospital “, declared the cyclist’s father to the daily Het Laatste Nieuws.
Seen last weekend in Doha on the sidelines of the Qatar F1 Grand Prix at the invitation of the Alpine team, Evenepoel (24) was back this week in Belgium to continue his preparation for the next season .
His return to competition is in principle scheduled for early February.
Evenepeol has not been spared from falls since the start of his career, the most serious having occurred during the Tour of Lombardy in 2020, in the descent of the Mur de Sormano. After a plunge of more than ten meters, he suffered a significant fracture of the pelvis and damage to his lungs.