Although 2025 is hardly off to a perfect start after being doored in December, 2024 was truly one for the ages for Remco Evenepoel. A postal worker opened her vehicle door as he passed, resulting in a broken hand, shoulder blade, and rib, along with bruised lungs. Now limited to riding indoors for a few months, he’s pushed back his season debut but will still target the Tour de France.
The Belgian claimed an unprecedented double gold in Paris, dominating the time trial ahead of Filippo Ganna and Wout van Aert, then pulling off a remarkable road race victory. The Soudal Quick-Step rider launched his decisive move on Montmartre. Despite a last-minute flat tire, he finished in style, holding his Specialized bike aloft with the Eiffel Tower in the background.
An incredible moment
“I’m fully aware: those Games were the number-one moment of my career. It’s strange to think about. Maybe my career isn’t even halfway done, I don’t know what’s still to come, but I’ve already had my number-one moment,” he told Het Laatste Nieuws.
Reflecting on his crash in December, Evenepoel said he underwent surgery immediately to ensure a proper recovery.
“Otherwise, everything would have healed incorrectly. I knew right away that I was in for a long recovery, which happened to coincide with my wife Oumi’s exam period. I tried to stay positive, but after a week or two, when everyone went off to training camps and Oumi was studying while I was just reading books or watching movies, I started losing my mind and found it tough,” he said.
Pain lingered from the collision
“I felt the impact of the surgery. I doubted myself. Will I even manage this year? Will it turn out all right? People don’t see that. They meet me in the store, ask how I’m doing, and I smile. I stay positive, but when I get home, I break down.”
Evenepoel also described the chaos of post-Olympic media scrums and the quiet celebration that followed with his wife, 0umii.
“The first four hours were insanely hectic. It was nonstop,” he said. “Press conferences. Interviews. The same question over and over: ‘Do you even realize how unique this is?’”
After a day of relentless interviews, he and Oumi, along with her brothers, were finally heading back to the hotel.
“We passed a kebab shop still open near the Arc de Triomphe. We sat there, outside on a bench, eating—almost literally among the homeless—with my medals just sitting beside me in a little case. It was such a…
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