After a successful recovery and preparation for the Flemish classics, Evenepoel may join Giro squad for altitude training
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Follow us on GoogleRemco Evenepoel appeared more and more in recent weeks. After several short bike rides in mid-February, he joined his teammates as they inspected the route of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. The Belgian from Soudal Quick-Step is recovering well and can even begin to dream of a successful return to the peloton.
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The crash at the end of December, when Evenepoel crashed into the door of a delivery van, did not only have physical consequences. In addition to a broken rib, shoulder blade, and right hand, he suffered a bruised lung and a dislocated collarbone. But he had a hard time mentally as well. "In the beginning, it was difficult because he couldn't do anything," trainer Koen Pelgrim said in an interview with IDLProCycling.com in February. "He was in pain, had trouble sleeping, and was not allowed to do anything but rest. That period lasted long, but when he was allowed to train again, he regained focus and looked ahead."
As soon as he could train again, he made significant progress. After a slow start—and a visit to the crash site—last week, he recorded a 164-kilometer bike ride with his teammates at Soudal Quick-Step. He looked impressive during the recon of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, and his recovery seems to be on track—so much so that he is slowly getting back into the racing mindset.
Read more below the photo!
Evenepoel training in Flanders.
Evenepoel focuses first on Ardennes triptych
Het Laatste Nieuws reports that Evenepoel is progressing so well that he will travel to the Sierra Nevada again this month. He will train at altitude in the Pyrenees with the Belgian team's Giro squad (including Mikel Landa and Valentin Paret-Peintre). He will easily reach his intended comeback date, the Brabantse Pijl.
After his crash, he had already completely put the Tour of Italy out of his mind. "I have no choice but to accept it as it is. It will be a special year, but I have to look ahead and adapt to the circumstances," he admitted at the time, but everything seems possible again. Whatever happens, he will first focus on the Walloon classics: participating in the Amstel Gold Race, the Flèche Wallonne, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. After that triptych, the Tour de Romandie will likely be on the program.
Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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