Remco Evenepoel forced to take a long break off the bike

In an instant, Remco Evenepoel’s 2025 prep changed. On Tuesday, he was hospitalized after colliding into the door of a postal van during a training ride. This crash follows his involvement in the brutal April crash at the Tour du Pays Basque, which affected his, Primož Roglič’s, and Jonas Vingegaard’s seasons. The van door unexpectedly swung open, causing Evenepoel to collide with it, resulting in fractures to his right shoulder blade, ribs, and a broken hand. Though conscious and shivering, he was taken to Erasmus Hospital in Anderlecht. His father confirmed that Evenepoel is hopeful for a full recovery.

Evenepoel now faces another challenge just as training for 2025 begins. He will need two weeks of immobilization after surgery and won’t be able to ride until then. While other pros are already putting in long hours, Evenepoel will be behind when he resumes. He posted on X, “The comeback starts now.”

Much worse than his crash in Spain

Evenepoel told VTM Nieuws that this recovery is tougher than after his crash in the Tour of the Basque Country, as he has more injuries this time. He explained that they had to do extensive work on his dislocated collarbone, which also damaged the surrounding joints. Because of this, he’ll need more recovery time. He said December will be a long month, as he won’t be able to do much, especially anything that puts stress on his shoulder, and cycling is out of the question. A scan will assess the damage and guide the next steps in his recovery process.

Evenepoel hopes to start training on the rollers and undergo more intensive physiotherapy soon, noting that every detail matters and he’ll need to listen to his body. He will miss the team training camp in December, and the January one will also be tough. By then, he expects to be riding slowly for a few hours while still focusing on physiotherapy. “It’s better now than in April,” he said. “If it had been then, making the Tour would have been tough. It’ll be fine—and I have no choice. It is what it is.”

Remco Evenepoel got doored: How do I avoid it?

He explained that he swerved just in time, but the right side of his body collided with the door of the postal van as it suddenly swung open, throwing him across to the other side of the road. This impact explains the extent and seriousness of his injuries.

As for the postal worker, Evenepoel holds no ill will toward her. “The woman was deeply impacted, but she was simply doing her job,”…