"There is a good chance that we will no longer be talking about it in two days" - Soudal-Quick-Step doctor reassures after Remco Evenepoel's multiple crashes

Stage 5 of the 2023 Giro d'Italia was full of heart-in-mouth moments for Remco Evenepoel and his fans as the Soudal - Quick-Step leader hit the deck multiple times. Thankfully though, his team doctor is confident there will no lasting effects from the crashes.

“I think most of it has already been ruled out. We've checked the urine and all, that there's definitely nothing wrong with his kidneys. I think there's a slim chance that anything else will come up," the head doctor of the Soudal - Quick-Step team, Toon Cruyt told Sporza. "If the ride goes well now, there is a good chance that we will no longer be talking about it in two days.”

Thankfully for Evenepoel he managed to escape stage 5 without losing any time and remains second on the general classification behind only Team DSM's Andreas Leknessund. The question now though is, how will Evenepoel recover? As anyone who has ever fell off a bike knows, just because there are no broken bones it doesn't mean it will be pain-free.

“The night has been good. He slept well, with a lot of deep sleep," said team doctor Cruyt. “Remco had a large bruise on the right side of his back and his pelvis was a bit stuck, but after treatment it was a bit better. This morning it was the same, but we will only see on the bike whether this can still block.”

Geert van Bondt of the Soudal - Quick-Step set-up also shared his inside knowledge of the Belgian's condition. “He doesn't really feel stiff in the limbs anymore. We now have to see how Remco gets through the stage, after that we will only look at Friday's stage," he says. "It may be nervous again, with many small village centers with cobblestones and so on.”