Vanthourenhout worried about mental impact on unlucky Evenepoel and Van Aert: "Is this the breaking point?"

The cycling season officially started two days ago in Australia. In a month and a half, even Omloop het Nieuwsblad will be in the program. However, Remco Evenepoel is not yet allowed to ride outside. The Belgian is still recovering from his crash in early September. The first roller training session is already in progress, but whether he will recover in time for the Ardennes classics remains to be seen.

During Velofollies, Sporza asked Tom Dumoulin and Sven Vanthourenhout for their take on the matter. The former national team coach had been in contact with Evenepoel shortly before. "He faces a difficult challenge, but I know him and what strength he has in him. It will be fine again, he said. Remco will amaze us again sooner or later. But I will make a comparison with Wout van Aert. They are in the same position: it involves trial and error."

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Evenepoel and his bike after September crash

Vanthourenhout does not believe in cliché 

The Belgian has a clear take on the cliché that, as an athlete, you can emerge stronger from such an injury. "That is - if I may say so - nonsense. Remco and Wout could have gone much further in their careers and had richer palmares if they hadn't gone through all this. You stay off the bike for 2-3 months and put your energy into other things. That doesn't make you better. It's as simple as that."

Nevertheless, 2025 is not a wasted year in advance. "A peak is still quite possible. But meanwhile, he lost a few months again and could have had Liège or other classics in his program. Now you're back to calculating what is possible based on his recovery."

But even more mentally than physically, all the accumulated injuries will have their effects. "When I saw Wout lying in the Vuelta after his crash, I thought: It's not the breaking point, is it? You don't just recover from a cold, right? You always return from nowhere. You have to work hard for months to hopefully get back to that level. The riders carry that with them, but the outside world doesn't see it. Because they are considered cycling gods with wins," Vanthourenhout believes.

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Evenepoel 

Dumoulin does believe in the cliché

You don't have the certainty of becoming the rider you once were, which probably makes it even harder mentally. Dumoulin knows that becoming the rider you once were doesn't always work out after several setbacks. "I read that Remco was out of action for 10 weeks: that's a lot, but it's not irreversible. For the Tour, it doesn't have to have consequences, maybe not even for the classics," Dumoulin claims.

What is essential is that the basis is strong enough. "He would be wise to build that base before he starts racing a lot. So I would say: work towards the Tour de France in a relaxed way."

Still, Dumoulin does look at it a little differently than Vanthourenhout. He does believe in the cliché: "Maybe it's just right for the next step: sometimes you take one step back to make two forward. Hopefully, that's the situation with him." No long-term consequences, then. "No, no. That he now has to tear down another wall of the house he built year after year? In his case, I'm not so afraid of that. Maybe he can even reach a higher level?"

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