Evenepoel sidelined due to dental surgery, now has to entertain himself with TikTok challenge

Normally, Strava would be filled with Evenepoel’s training rides in November. However, over the past few days, things have been suspiciously quiet when it comes to the third-place finisher of the last Tour de France. On TikTok, it soon became clear what was going on with the Belgian cycling star. He appeared in a TikTok challenge where he played a version of whack-a-mole. With a swollen cheek, he cheerfully tapped along. The ever-competitive Evenepoel showed his best side, as he was the best at this game too.

The Soudal Quick-Step leader had a tough season. After a relatively difficult spring, where a crash in the Tour of the Basque Country disrupted his plans, he found success in the Tour and the Olympic Games. As the world time trial champion, he could afford to undergo a dental procedure at the end of the year. The removal of wisdom teeth is an unpleasant operation, but the advice is to avoid physical activity for two to three days. So, the Belgian won’t have to wait long for his return to the bike, even if he would soon be itching to ride again...

Evenepoel's return to the bike took place on Saturday, November 16. He went out for a ride of nearly 63 kilometers in the Brussels area. Understandably, it wasn't easy yet for the Olympic champion in both the road race and the time trial, as shown by his humorous caption: "Learning to ride a few teeth lighter 😵‍💫🦷".

Rumors about a possible departure from his team remain unsubstantiated, for now. Michel Wuyts recently spoke about a potential exit from Soudal Quick-Step, but it was said that he turned down a ten-million-per-year contract with Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. Team boss Patrick Lefevere confirmed the interest from the team, which includes Primoz Roglic, and criticized their approach. Evenepoel himself has not yet responded. But as Roglic said: where there’s smoke, there’s fire...