07.10.2020
15:08
Remco Evenepoel suffered a hip fracture and a contusion to his lungs, but he is already preparing to compete again
October 7, 2020 Share on FacebookShare Share on TwitterTweet Share on WhatsAppShareImpactful fall of cyclist Remco Evenepoel
In August 2020, the news about the Giro de Lombardia was crowded in the main portals of the world because the information indicated that a cyclist had suffered a shocking accident when falling into space from a bridge and his condition was unknown. The athlete was Remco Evenepoel , from the Deceuninck-Quick Step team, who, after being rescued from the scene, was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital.
Almost two months after that brutal fall, the 20-year-old is undergoing rehabilitation and is fully focused on getting back to racing, as, unlikely as it may seem, his wounds have healed. It is that the Belgian had as a consequence a hip fracture and a contusion in the lungs, so he did not need to go through the operating room, but with rest and exercises he will be able to return to his normal life.
“When I got to the hospital after my fall, the scan revealed a popped vein in my groin. Fortunately the doctors saw it quickly, it could have drained my blood. Later, I learned that my hip fracture was one millimeter next to a nerve. I could have spent my life in that wheelchair, ” Evenepoel explained in a documentary on VRT .
Evenepoel never lost consciousness, despite his painful fall
The young promise from Belgium , who is already training on an exercise bike and plans to compete again in 2021, explained that his mother and partner were with him when the doctors gave him that information. “My mom and Oumii were by my side when they told me that. I saw them pale ”, said the athlete, who on August 15 left the road about 50 kilometers from the end, on the descent to Sormano.
Evenepoel was part of a group of seven riders leading the Giro de Lombardia when the front wheel of his bicycle hit a ledge in the wall of a bridge and he was thrown forward. The descent was proceeding at high speed, driven by Vincenzo Nibali , while he was slightly behind at the time of his fall, which was possibly cushioned by the trees.
Until his serious accident, the one who was European champion and world time trial runner-up, as well as winner of the San Sebastián classic in 2019, had signed an almost perfect season in 2020, since he had been proclaimed champion of the Tour of Poland, the Tour of the Algarve, the Tour of San Juan and the Tour of Burgos.
Jakob Fuglsang , of the Astana ProTeam team, was the winner of the 114th edition of the Giro de Lombardia by being ahead of George Bennett (Jumbo-Visma) and the Russian Aleksandr Vlasov (Astana