'He has already sent us a message, so we hope everything is okay' says father
Remco Evenepoel has reportedly been taken to hospital following a training crash in Belgium after he collided with a postal vehicle.
The double Olympic champion was conscious and seen sitting upright after the incident. Soudal-QuickStep team boss Patrick Lefevere provided an initial update that Evenepoel "has pain in his shoulder and his hand" but the full severity of the injuries turned out to be worse than first thought.
Soudal-QuickStep have now confirmed that Evenepoel sustained fractures to his rib, right shoulder blade and right hand. Read Cyclingnews' updated story here.
Belgian media reported that Evenepoel was unable to avoid the door of a Bpost postal vehicle that opened in front of him, however, the full details of the crash are also still yet to be confirmed.
Evenpoel's gold bike was also completely snapped in two after the crash.
"Such accidents unfortunately happen 5 times a day, people who don't pay attention and open their door," said Lefevere to Sporza.
"Remco has pain in his shoulder and his hand. Our doctor is working on it. His bike broke in two in that incident. But it is better to have his bike in two than his arm."
The 24-year-old has now been transported to the Erasmus Hospital in Anderlecht, where his family have now joined him.
"We don't know much more ourselves. He was taken to the Erasmus Hospital in Anderlecht. He has already sent us a message, so we hope everything is okay. From what I hear, he fell after colliding with the swinging door of a Bpost truck." said his father Patrick Evenepoel to Het Nieuwsblad.
Bpost has also responded to the incident, confirming it was one of their vehicles Evenepoel collided with.
"We confirm that an incident occurred this morning involving a Bpost car and cyclist Remco Evenepoel," said spokesman Mathieu Goedefroy in a statement to Sporza.
"Unfortunately, we cannot go into the details of the accident, but it goes without saying that the postman and Bpost are fully cooperating with the investigation. The police have arrived on site to make the necessary observations.
"The postman also stayed at the scene until Remco could be taken to the hospital. They are extremely affected by the incident. We wish Remco a speedy recovery and we hope that the consequences for him will be kept to a minimum."
Evenepoel had been getting into the full swing of training again ahead of December and January training camps and the start of the 2025 season. He'd also recently been in the US for wind tunnel testing at the Specialized HQ in California and spent the weekend at the Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix.