In August 2020, the cycling world gasped in horror as rising star Remco Evenepoel catapulted over a stone bridge during the Tour of Lombardy, plummeting 30 feet into a ravine.
It was a heart-stopping moment for fans who’d just begun to witness the Belgian’s meteoric rise, from football prodigy to cycling phenomenon.
The Crash
On August 15th, 2020, during the Tour of Lombardy, Remco Evenepoel’s dream season turned into a nightmare.
Flying down the infamous Sormano descent, one of the fastest and most technical in professional cycling, he misjudged a sharp left-hand corner he’d never ridden before.
While the riders ahead made it through safely, Remco ran wide, slammed into a low stone bridge wall, and was catapulted over it. He plummeted nearly 30 feet into a ravine (the height of a three-story building) and lay hidden from view until rescuers spotted him below.
Miraculously conscious but in severe pain, he was carried out with a fractured pelvis and a bruised lung, his season instantly over.
Remco’s Rise To The Top
Remco’s path to the top was anything but ordinary. Just three years before the crash, he was captaining Belgium’s U‑17 football team. When his football career faltered, he swapped cleats for pedals, a decision that would change sporting history. Within months, he became European junior champion, then a double world champion in 2018. By 19, he was winning elite races and being hailed as “the next Eddy Merckx.”
After The Crash
But the crash threatened everything. A fractured pelvis and lung contusion sidelined him for the rest of 2020, and his slow, setback-filled recovery left many wondering if he’d ever return to form.
Then came 2022. Remco stormed back, winning his first Monument, reclaiming the Clásica San Sebastián, and conquering the Vuelta a España – Belgium’s first Grand Tour win in 44 years. He capped the season by soloing to a world championship victory, joining an elite club of riders who’ve claimed a Monument, Grand Tour, and world title in the same year.
Paris 2024
And just when you thought the story couldn’t get any sweeter, he turned to the grandest stage of all – the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Battling gloomy skies and slick streets, Remco clocked a flawless 36:12.16 in the individual time trial to claim gold, outpacing Italy’s Filippo Ganna by nearly 15 seconds and sealing his name in history as the only man ever to win both the road race and time trial at the same Summer Games.
From lying in a ravine to donning rainbow stripes and Olympic gold, Remco’s journey reads like a fairy-tale written in sweat, grit, and pure heart.
If this comeback inspired you, share his story – because the world could use a reminder that nothing is impossible.
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