Remco Evenepoel stepped down disappointed last Saturday during the fourteenth stage of the Tour de France. It has now emerged that he rode the entire race with a broken rib. This was the result of a crash at the National Championships.
"What should have been the highlight of my season turned into a disappointment," Evenepoel writes in an extensive statement on Instagram. "The Tour de France was my big goal. After my crash in December, I did everything with one clear aim: to be ready in time for July. The goal gave me focus, but it also created a lot of time pressure. The winter months, which are normally the period where you build a solid base for the season, were taken up by rehabilitation and recovery. I had no choice but to be patient: I had to heal."
"When I was finally able to train again, everything suddenly went very quickly. It was constantly rushed: rushing to get back in time for the classics in April, rushing to get altitude training, rushing to be ready for the Tour. I always felt like I was chasing my tail. During training, I never felt completely myself: the usual sensations weren’t there. But I kept believing. I didn’t want to give up on the dream."
"We thought the rest during rehabilitation would have given me sufficient recovery. But in reality, my body never really had a break. It was still working hard to recover from the fractures and the trauma of the crash. In hindsight, I wasn’t overtrained, but I was clearly exhausted. I started the Tour already running on empty."
Broken rib
But more was at play than just an empty battery. "Right before the Tour, there was another crash," Evenepoel continues. "During the National Championship, I broke another rib. Not the worst, but definitely not ideal. So I lined up at the start of the toughest race in the world with a broken rib and a fatigued body. Not an ideal combination. But I didn’t want to let go of my goal, for which I had fought so hard."
"Despite everything, I gave everything I had. I managed to win a stage, wore the white jersey for several days, and was high up in the overall classification. The first week went well, all things considered. But in the second week, the efforts started to take their toll. I held on, but deep down I knew I wasn’t at my best. Until my body finally said ‘enough.’"
Proud
Things went wrong for the first time on the mountain stage to Hautacam. "After twelve days, I cracked. Everything I had carried all this time caught up with me. But still, I didn’t want to give up. I fought as hard as I could. For you, my fans, I really wanted to give the absolute last bit I had left inside me."
"But two days later, I felt completely empty," Evenepoel refers to the fourteenth stage to Superbagnères. "That’s when I made the right decision to get off the bike. On top of that, the first signs of an infection were just starting to appear. What began as a vague discomfort turned into a severe sinusitis in the days that followed. It hit hard."
"That day became one of the rawest and most vulnerable moments in my career. I broke down – and strangely enough, I am proud of that. It takes strength to show that things don’t always go the way you want. That, even if you really want something, your body sometimes has other plans. That moment, as tough as it was, showed that I am human – with highs and lows.
Difficult decision
Leaving the Tour was the 'hardest decision' Evenepoel had made in a long time, he writes. "But it was the right one. For the first time, I really listened to my body. And I hope that moment sends a message, especially to young riders who are watching: it’s okay to stop, it’s okay to feel tired, it’s okay to be human. Sometimes taking a step back is the strongest thing you can do. Now I’m taking the time to rest and recover. Thank you all for the support. It means more than you know. Remco," Evenepoel closes.
