Remco Evenepoel crash: Cycling prodigy in hospital after falling 30 feet off bridge during Il Lombardia

Evenepoel suffered a fractured pelvis and a right lung contusion

Remco Evenepoel is carried to an ambulance after crashing (Getty)

Remco Evenepoel, one of the best young riders in world cycling, is recovering in hospital after falling 30 feet from a bridge in a crash during Il Lombardia.

The Belgian Deceuninck-Quick Step rider was descending from a high climb in the leading pack when he hit the bridge wall and was thrown over the edge into a ravine. Paramedics attended the 20-year-old before carrying him to an ambulance.

He suffered a fractured pelvis and a right lung contusion and is expected to be out of action for several months.

“Remco Evenepoel has been tended to by the doctors and is now taken to the hospital with the ambulance,” said an initial team statement, before later adding: “[He] suffered multiple injuries during Saturday’s Il Lombardia.

“One of the favourites at the start of the season’s second Monument, Remco Evenepoel crashed inside the last 50 kilometers, on the descent of Sormano, hitting a bridge wall and going over it into a ravine. Placed into a precautionary neck brace and taken to the Como hospital by ambulance, Remco was conscious at all times as he underwent a series of examinations to reveal the extent of his injury.

“Unfortunately, the X-rays showed a fractured pelvis and a right lung contusion, which will keep Evenepoel – a winner of four stage races this season – on the sidelines for the upcoming period. Our rider will remain in the hospital overnight under observation, before flying on Sunday to Belgium.”

Evenepoel is considered the next big thing to come out of cycling-mad Belgium, and has been frequently compared to the great Eddy Mercx.

Evenepoel already has a series of impressive wins to his name, including the 2018 junior road race and time trial world titles, the 2019 Clasica de San Sebastian, the 2019 European time trial title and the recent Tour de Pologne.

It was only last week in Poland that his teammate Fabio Jakobsen suffered a horrific crash of his own during a sprint finish on stage one. Jakobsen was put into an induced coma and required plastic surgery on his face, before being transferred to a hospital in his native Netherlands to continue treatment.