Remco Evenepoel flown home to Belgium
Doctors say Belgian star will remain bed-ridden for six weeks, putting an end to his 2020 season, but might not need surgery.
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Remco Evenepoel returned home to Belgium on Monday, following an overnight stay at a hospital in the Lombardy region of Italy in the wake of his season-ending crash.
“Hi everyone, I just want to say I’m doing very well for the moment,” he said in a video posted on his Deceuninck-QuickStep team’s Twitter feed. “Unfortunately, my season is over but we have no rush to plan a good comeback.”
Back in Belgium after his crash at Il Lombardia, @EvenepoelRemco had a message from the hospital for all those who sent him good vibes in the last couple of days.#TheWolfpackNeverGivesUp pic.twitter.com/NLMa2eqW6N
— Deceuninck-QuickStep (@deceuninck_qst) August 17, 2020
Evenepoel, 20, crashed into a low wall at the top of a bridge and was flung over the side, falling about 30 feet into a deep ravine, with about 55 kilometers remaining in the 2020 Il Lombardia.
His team doctor, Yvan Vanmol, told Belgian’s RTBF that recovery from a fractured pelvis will obviously take a lot of time.
“We suppose six weeks of total rest, resting flat on the bed, with another few weeks on top of that before he can start cycling again,” Vanmol said. “For the moment we don’t believe an operation will be necessary.”
Evenepoel was one of the pre-race favorites for the win. When Evenepoel crashed on the descent from Colma di Sormano, he was in the front group which at the time included winner Jakob Fuglsang (Astana Pro Team), George Bennett (Mitchelton-Scott), 2019 winner Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo), and Vincenzo Nibali (Trek-Segafredo).
Fuglsang took the win from Bennet when the two distanced themselves from the Trek riders.
AFP contributed to this report.
