"The Giro? Nothing had been decided" - Patrick Lefevere won't rule out Maglia Rosa tilt for Remco Evenepoel despite Quick-Step leader facing 8 weeks off-bike post-crash

Remco Evenepoel's plans for the 2025 season were thrown into disarray earlier this week as the Belgian was involved in a crash with a BPost van during a training ride in his homeland. In a latest update though, Soudal - Quick-Step boss Patrick Lefevere is remaining somewhat optimistic.

The injuries suffered by Evenepoel include broken bones, a dislocated collarbone and contusions to his lungs and as Lefevere explains to DN Net, the road to recovery for the double Olympic champion will not be an easy one. "He needs time to recover," admits the Soudal - Quick-Step boss, proposing a potential time-table for his team leader to get back into training. "In the worst case, he will have to do without a bike for an estimated eight weeks."

Despite a potential eight week special off-bike though, the fact it has happened in early December means the 2025 calendar remains open for Evenepoel. "He hadn't drawn up his program yet, or at least hadn't made any definitive choices," Lefevere assesses. "We already said no to the Tour Down Under in Australia, which Remco wanted to start."

Even in the Grand Tours things are still wide open. Evenepoel has had a tricky relationship with the Giro d'Italia over the course of his career, having a DNF in both of his previous two appearance at the Italian Grand Tour, notably being forced out of the 2023 edition whilst in the Maglia Rosa due to a positive Covid test during a rest day.

"The Giro? Nothing had been decided on that," Lefevere evaluates, refusing to rule it out despite the seriousness of his team leader's off-season injuries. "The only certainty (in Evenepoel's 2025 programme ed.) was the Tour de France," Lefevere concludes, insisting an improvement on his third place in GC on Tour debut earlier this summer remains the main goal for the Belgian in the coming year.