Remco Evenepoel sustained shoulder complications during recovery: “If I was a tennis player, career was over”

With healthy tension in his lower abdomen. For example, Remco Evenepoel is at the start of the Brabantse Pijl on Friday, his official return in the peloton after his accident. The double Olympic champion went through a difficult recovery period – including complications. “But my loved ones and faith helped me enormously,” he shared to the press.

“No, it was not easy to see everyone training and to be able to do nothing for 6 weeks in the bad Belgian weather.”

Despite a broad smile at his press chatter, Remco Evenepoel does not hide that he went through a difficult period after his accident with a bpost van in December.

“Fortunately I was able to count on a lot of support from Oumi and my family. We have prayed a lot together. I discovered faith in the past year. For me it was a hold.”

For example, Evenepoel climbed from a deep valley and his dense area saw the rider bloom completely again. “The button has turned around. I am ready to race again,” he shares.

tomorrow my shoulder will be fired firmly to catch the cobblestones. It is not ideal, but my legs have to turn the pedals.

Remco Evenepoel

Not only mentally, also physically, Evenepoel was given a solid challenge for his feet. Just like with his fall in the Basque Country, his shoulder was firmly hit.

“After a few weeks of my rehabilitation, we noticed a nerve injury,” says Evenepoel Open card. “It’s not right yet and hurts, but luckily it’s not as important as a rider.”

“If I was a basketball player, tennis player or volleyball player, my career was over. Tomorrow my shoulder will be tightened to catch the blows of the cobbles. It is not ideal, but my legs have to make the pedals turn.”

Because Evenepoel wants to refuel trust in the Brabant Arrow in the confrontation with Van Aert and Pidcock. “It will certainly motivate me that I drive close to my own house and parental home. I want to have fun.”

After the digital press chatter, Evenepoel made time for a conversation with our reporter. The double Olympic champion once again confirmed the content of his Instagram message earlier this week.

“It has been a long process where I had no end point in the beginning. It was hard to estimate how serious that nerve injury is. Still actually.”

“There seemed to be no end, because we didn’t know when it would be healed. With a first serious injury you are full of fire, the second time that is less and the third time – especially in a short time – it is a bit less.”

“Then you doubt whether you still want it. Whether that can be delighted is worth it. Do you want to sacrifice all those things for it? Yes, at a certain moment I thought of stopping. It was so serious.”

“I talked about it at home and let it pass for a few days and weeks. The physiotherapist and the roles came back on the roles. Life came back to me. Now there is no longer any question of stopping.”

The people who have been there for me have ensured that I have bitten and that I seriously driven out to be ready.

Remco Evenepoel

“The people who have been there for me have ensured that I bitten and that I seriously drove to be ready,” says Evenepoel.

But what does “be ready” mean? “My shape is good enough to race. The last signals were positive. Results are hard to say. The nerve injury has not yet recovered. The muscles on my flank are not yet functioning.”

“That is why I drive with a sturdy tape. That will be stable enough. I have trained a lot without tape, once with. That went much better. So I will race with it for a longer period of time.”

There is no shortage of motivation. “I always want to be good, but I also have to accept if things are not going well enough. Then I have to make progress every day.”

The performance of Tadej Pogacar has certainly stimulated Evenepoel. “I take something like that on training.”

“When I see him busy, it only gives more fire to go even deeper or to go over my limit. Hopefully that will bear fruit.”