Watch Evenepoel recover after his first fall
No fractures, but a lot of pain and abrasions for Remco Evenepoel after his double crash in the Giro. And so it is in two minds – the Tour of Italy will certainly not be the same for Evenepoel after the Wednesday stage. Bondsdoctor Kris Van der Mieren estimates the impact of Remco’s falls and the damage to his bodywork.
“We’ve seen it many times – crashes like that have consequences for someone who is a candidate overall winner for a round anyway. That is not the same as with a one-day race. Or for – with all due respect – a helper in a grand tour.”
Glutes
According to Van der Mieren, the impact of abrasions is threefold. There are physical, hormonal and mental consequences: “On a physical level, not only the skin is damaged, but also the muscles underneath. And you should not underestimate that. Sliders like Remco’s on a wet road surface are detrimental to the gluteal muscles. And they are very important in the power transfer between back and legs. Especially in the mountain stages. The fibers that are broken must be repaired. And that is accompanied by a clearing or inflammatory response. That starts almost immediately, but it can easily take five to seven days. That’s not okay in two days. That alone causes the necessary inconvenience.”
Watch: Evenepoel falls a second time
“In addition, there is also a hormonal response. Stress hormones or cortisol being released. It can affect sleep, which you can miss in a round. Finally, there is also a mental impact, a conglomeration of all the previous ones. You are not waiting for it. Sleeping badly, not recovering well… Everything is a bit out of whack.”
In any case, it will be biting teeth for Evenepoel in the remainder of this Giro, although according to the federal doctor that should not be a problem: “I want to say right away that Remco is really tough. Both physically and mentally. Many people underestimate him in that respect. He must have taken this scenario into account somewhere. I know him well, but also the people around him. In situations like this, the medical team, his teammates and everyone around them are very important. When things are going well, that is less the case. Now the quality of the staff and the team has to come to the fore and I have a lot of confidence in that.”
