Remco Evenepoel, double gold medalist at the Paris Olympics, victim of an accident feared by all cyclists

SPORT – It’s an accident feared by all cyclists. After a brilliant 2024 season in road cycling, where he notably won two Olympic titles (road race and time trial), Remco Evenepoel collided head-on with a stationary vehicle in Belgium.

This Tuesday, December 3, during this transition period between the two cycling seasons, the Belgian was training near Gooik, a town in Flemish Brabant. In the Oetingen section, he hit the door of a postal vehicle that the driver had suddenly opened, before being urgently hospitalized according to the The Newspaper.

“He was transported to the Erasmus hospital in Anderlecht under the supervision of a team from the MUG (the Belgian SMUR, editor’s note)” confides his father Patrick Evenepoel to the Belgian newspaper. “He’s already sent us a message, so we hope all is well” he reassures.

“He lay on the ground for a while.”however, reveals a local trader. « Remco [Evenepoel] curled up a bit afterwards, it was clearly a hard blow. The door of the postal van was also completely twisted. His bike was completely broken, they folded him like a wheelchair” he says.

For its part, the Belgian postal company claims to “deeply” regret what happened and to cooperate “ fully » to the investigation. “This is a very regrettable incident and we hope from the bottom of our hearts that the great cycling champion Remco Evenepoel will not suffer any serious injuries” they expressed themselves. The postwoman involved in the accident says she is “very upset” of the situation.

Another hard blow in 2024

The reigning world time trial champion suffers from a broken collarbone. He will now be transferred to Herentals hospital before undergoing additional examinations to determine whether surgery is necessary or not, and with a plate to consolidate the fracture.

This is his second major fall of the year after that which occurred during the Tour of the Basque Country. The Belgian then fractured his shoulder blade and right collarbone, and had to undergo surgery before making his return to competition two months later during the Critérium du Dauphiné.

In July, only a month after his resumption, he finished third in his first Tour de France behind Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard just before winning his two Olympic titles.

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