'Nothing crazy' - Remco Evenepoel unscathed by Tour de France crash
The word from the Soudal-QuickStep camp was reassuring after Remco Evenepoel's fall in the finale of stage 3 and the rider himself offered an upbeat assessment when he reported for duty in Amiens before Wednesday's stage.
Remco Evenepoel has reported no lasting injury from his crash in the finale of stage 3 of the Tour de France. The Soudal-QuickStep rider was seen holding his ribs as he crossed the line in Dunkerque on Monday evening, but he made light of the incident at the start of stage 4 in Amiens.
“I’m good, nothing crazy,” Evenepoel told Eurosport. “It was a pretty slow crash. They crashed in front of me, and I tried to break but the bunch always makes a movement to avoid a crash, and I think I was on the wrong side on the right. I touched the wheel of a guy in front of me and went down, so nothing crazy to worry about.”
The stage to Dunkerque was won by Evenepoel’s teammate Tim Merlier in a bunch sprint that was marked by another mass crash in the finishing straight. The punchy finale to stage 4 in Rouen also promises to be a hectic affair, and the succession of climbs in the last hour of racing could make it an afternoon for the GC contenders.
Evenepoel declared himself ready for the contest and he noted that the more rugged terrain might make the finale a little less hazardous than Monday’s run-in.
“I guess the only part I don’t like is to get into position,” he said. “There’s going to be one really crucial point today to get into a good position and after that it’s going to be the legs that speak.
“Once I get into a good position, I do like it, but I think for everyone, the nervousness to get into position is going to be hectic again. But the sprinters are not going to be in the mix, so it’s going to be a little bit different. A pretty beautiful finale to watch, I guess.”
Evenepoel currently lies 21st overall, 49 seconds down on yellow jersey Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and 45 behind pre-race favourite Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG). After losing time in a split on stage 1 and falling on stage 3, Evenepoel will hope for better luck as the race reaches Normandy, and he will line up as the favourite for victory in Wednesday’s time trial in Caen.
Since the Tour began, headlines about Evenepoel's long-rumoured transfer to Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe have also resurfaced, though Soudal-QuickStep CEO Jurgen Foré has downplayed the idea that the rider could leave the team before his contract expires at the end of 2026.
