Evenepoel has a nerve injury and his recovery is complicated for the Classics

Bad news in the recovery process of Remco Evenepoel after the spectacular fall he suffered in early December after colliding with the door of a parked van that opened as he passed by. The Belgian, who a few days ago announced his race calendar for 2025 cut short at the beginning of the season, now also sees his participation in the Ardennes races in jeopardy.

Remco Evenepoel's shoulder hinders his return to competition

As was to be expected, given the extent of the injuries suffered by Remco Evenepoel, the Belgian's recovery seems to be slower than expected. This is not uncommon when the shoulder joint is involved, as the Soudal-QuickStep cyclist fractured his scapula and dislocated his collarbone, affecting all the ligaments of such a complex joint as the shoulder.

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After diagnostic tests carried out last weekend, it was detected that one of the nerves in the area was affected, which will undoubtedly delay the full recovery of shoulder functionality, meaning that it is very likely that the Belgian's preparation will also be affected. Although Remco himself acknowledged, in statements during the award ceremony for the best Belgian athlete of the year, which has been awarded to him again, that he did not know if it would affect his preparation for the Ardennes classics, his first goal of the season before setting his sights on the Tour de France.

In any case, the recovery plan is set and will focus on strengthening and stimulating all the muscles that affect the shoulder to regain full mobility in the joint. Meanwhile, Remco remains active, using the roller to be able to do some training sessions that allow him to not start from scratch when he gets the green light to return to the road.

Although all of this may pose some setbacks for his participation in the Ardennes trio, the main goal, the Tour de France, remains unchanged and should not have any problems preparing for it properly, as well as the World Championships in Rwanda in the final part of the season, another event that Remco Evenepoel has his sights set on.