Evenepoel escapes snowy Teide and remains on track for Volta a Catalunya start

The 26-year-old Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe rider and his wife, Oumi Rayane, had been unable to leave the mountain due to heavy snowfall brought by Storm Therese, which swept across the Canary Islands earlier this week. Roads were closed and access to the volcano was cut off, leaving those at altitude effectively isolated.

Rayane had revealed their situation on Instagram earlier in the week, explaining that no one was able to travel up or down the mountain. With Evenepoel scheduled to fly to Barcelona on Saturday ahead of Monday’s race start, his participation at the Volta a Catalunya had briefly been cast into doubt.

However, the situation eased on Friday, as Evenepoel and Rayane were able to descend safely under police guidance as reported by Nieuwsblad. The pair are now staying near Tenerife airport, and their scheduled flight later today is expected to go ahead as planned.

Despite the logistical stress, Evenepoel’s racing programme now looks set to continue uninterrupted, with the Belgian expected to take the start in Catalunya on Monday.

The unexpected delay also had a personal impact. Rayane noted that the couple were unable to travel back to Belgium in time to celebrate Eid with family, marking the first time in 26 years she would miss the occasion. “Always difficult to choose between following my husband and the warmth of home,” she wrote on Instagram.

Evenepoel had been on Tenerife for a period of altitude training in preparation for his return to racing. The Volta a Catalunya is set to mark his first appearance since the dissapointing UAE Tour and forms a key part of his build-up towards the Ardennes Classics and, later in the season, the Tour de France.

His presence in Catalunya is one of the major talking points ahead of the race, where he is expected to go head to head with Jonas Vingegaard, João Almeida and Tom Pidcock in a stacked field.