Remco Evenepoel taken to hospital after 'colliding with swinging door of postal truck' while training

Remco Evenepoel is in hospital with fractures to his rib, right shoulder blade and right hand after a collision in Belgium this morning, the double Olympic champion reportedly the victim of a dooring and "fell after colliding with the swinging door of a bpost truck".

There were witnesses to the aftermath, pictures emerging on Belgian news site Nieuwsblad showing Evenepoel under a blanket and being treated by paramedics, an ambulance waiting to take him to Erasmus Hospital in Anderlecht.

bpost has since confirmed to us that one of its postwomen and vehicles was involved, the employee and company "fully cooperating with the investigation" and "deeply affected by the incident". 

Evenepoel's father, Patrick, confirmed to the Belgian press that he was taken to the hospital in Anderlecht and has "already sent us a message, so we hope everything is okay".

"We are still on our way, but we don't know much more ourselves," Patrick explained. "He was taken to the Erasmus hospital in Anderlecht under the supervision of an MUG team. He has already sent us a message, so we hope everything is okay. From what I hear, he fell after colliding with the swinging door of a bpost truck."

An image also emerged showing Evenepoel's gold S-Works SL8 lying at the roadside with a snapped top tube.

Remco's bike after this morning's incident 📷 HLN

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— Mathew Mitchell (@procyclinguk.com) 3 December 2024 at 11:09

Remco's father's account suggests his son may have been the victim of a dooring, an incident when a cyclist is hit by a vehicle's door being opened by a driver or passenger.

> Dooring – What is it, what does the law say and what should you do if it happens to you while cycling?

He also suggested the vehicle involved was a "bpost truck" although the exact details of what happened remain unclear. road.cc contacted bpost for comment and received the following statement:

We confirm that an incident occurred this morning involving a bpost vehicle and cyclist Remco Evenepoel. Unfortunately, we cannot go into the details of the accident, but it goes without saying that the postwoman involved and bpost are fully cooperating with the investigation.

The police arrived on site to make the necessary observations. The postwoman also remained at the scene until Remco could be taken to hospital. She is deeply affected by the incident. We wish Remco a speedy recovery and hope that the consequences for him will be kept to a minimum.

Soudal-Quick Step team boss Patrick Lefevere spoke to Sporza this lunchtime, saying "it is better that his bike is in two than his arm" and bemoaning "such accidents [that] unfortunately happen five times a day, [because] people don't pay attention and open their door".

"Remco has pain in his shoulder and his hand. Our doctor is working on it," he added.

It has since been reported by Nieuwsblad that the 24-year-old world time trial champion sustained fractures to his rib, right shoulder blade and his right hand in the crash.

In 2022, Chris Froome suffered minor injuries in a dooring in Monaco and urged motorists and passengers to use the Dutch Reach technique when opening vehicle doors to improve their visibility of the road behind them.

"It was literally a metre in front of me," Froome recalled. "I didn't even make it to my brakes. I hit the door and went flying over. I've just got one piece of advice for anyone getting out of their vehicle.

"It's called the Dutch Reach. Instead of opening the door with the hand that's closest to the door, use your opposite hand so you naturally turn your body in that way. You get to see if there's any traffic coming or most importantly, any bikes coming. So, use the Dutch Reach. It's extremely helpful and causes a lot less pain to our cyclists and it's a very simple thing for you guys to do."

The Highway Code here in the UK advises cyclists to "take care when passing parked vehicles, leaving enough room (a door's width or 1 metre) to avoid being hit if a car door is opened". It also, since 2022, has urged drivers and vehicle passengers to use the Dutch Reach when opening doors.

The government said at the time: "Where people driving or passengers in a vehicle are able to do so, they should open the door using their hand on the opposite side to the door they are opening. For example, using their left hand to open a door on their right-hand side. This will make them turn their head to look over their shoulder behind them. They're then less likely to cause injury to people cycling or riding a motorcycle passing on the road, or people on the pavement."