BRUSSELS:
Double Olympic road cyclist Remco Evenepoel says he will not return to racing until mid-April after suffering multiple fractures in a collision with a postal van this month.
The 24-year-old Belgian had hoped to resume racing in early March but said on Saturday he was not going to rush back after his latest mishap.
“The original plan was to return to the Ardeche and the Drome Classic (March 1-2). But that all fell through,” Evenepoel told Belgian newspaper La Derniere Heure.
“If I can resume training around February 4-5, I’ll only have three weeks on my feet before these two games.”
“Today, I have only one thing on my mind: to be at the start of the Fleche Brabanconne and then follow it up with the other three Ardennes classics, with the ambition to win.”
Fleche Brabanconne is scheduled for April 18, with the classic trio of Amstel Gold Race, La Fleche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege taking place on April 20, 23 and 27.
“For the Giro (from May 9 to June 1), it will probably be too early (for a three-week race) even if you never know,” added Evenepoel, whose main target is the Tour de France.
His late return also means he will miss Milan-San Remo, the biggest one-day race and the first Monument of the season, on March 22.
Evenepoel broke an arm, rib and shoulder blade after slamming into the open door of a parked van in Brussels on December 3 while preparing for the new season.
He also suffered bruised lungs, a dislocated collarbone and torn ligaments.
Evenpoel is no stranger to dramatic crashes, the most serious during the 2020 Tour of Lombardy when he fell 10 meters into a ravine, suffering a fractured pelvis and lung injuries.
Last April, he was caught in a heavy collective fall at the Tour of the Basque Country, where he also broke his collarbone and right shoulder blade. AFP
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