Remco Evenepoel will be off the bike for two months after Il Lombardia crash

Remco Evenepoel will be off the bike for six weeks to two months, making it unlikely he'll race the Giro d'Italia.  

The 20-year-old star suffered an awful crash during the 2020 Il Lombardia, after he hit a low wall on a bridge and fell into a ravine. 

Deceuninck - Quick-Step rider Evenepoel suffered multiple injuries, including a pelvis fracture and a contusion to his right lung and was kept in hospital overnight for observation. 

Yvan Vanmol, team doctor at the Belgian WorldTour squad, told VTM Nieuws: “We talk about six weeks.

“At best, let's assume he will be able to cycle again in two months. Then I suppose he is ready to experience our first training camp in December, in the same condition as most of the other riders at the time. ” 

The extent of his injuries mean Evenepoel is unlikely to ride the Giro d’Italia, which starts on October 3, meaning he will have to delay his Grand Tour debut. 

Evenepoel’s crash came in the final 50km of racing during Il Lombardia on Saturday, when the Belgian hit the side of a bridge and fell into the ravine below.

He had been tipped as the favourite to win the race and was riding in the front group at the Italian Monument when the fall happened.

Vanmol said Evenepoel will undergo further checks when he returns home to Belgium, but that the rider isn’t expected to undergo surgery. 

The crash has derailed a phenomenal season for Evenepoel, who has won all four stage races he has entered this season. 

He had been preparing for the Giro d’Italia and was considered the race favourite, despite never having raced for three weeks before.   

>>> Five things we learned from the 2020 Critérium du Dauphiné 

On Evenepoel's recovery, VanmolVanmol added: "He will be the same again. He's going to be better than the old version."