Remco Evenpoel will need another three weeks of rest to fully heal a pelvic fracture, leaving the talented young Belgian rider with just three months to prepare for his scheduled Grand Tour debut at the Giro d'Italia.

Evenpoel broke his pelvis last August when he went over a bridge and fell into a ravine on Il Lombardia. He appeared to recover quickly and was back training outdoors in November and December. However, he was still in pain, so the team doctor advised him to stop training in mid-December, and his comeback was called off.

Evenpoel revealed his problem at last week's Dissewnik Quickstep media day. He had hoped to return to training this week, but tests conducted in Belgium on Monday convinced the team's medical staff to delay his return.

He recently attended the Deceuninck-Quick Step training camp in Spain, but instead of doing long rides with his teammates, he spent time rehabbing in the gym and doing cardio in the pool.

Team manager Patrick Lefebvre admitted that Evenpoel would be off the bike for another three weeks. Lefebvre told the Sporza De Tribune podcast on Monday night, "I won't make the same mistake again. 'Apparently the bones don't grow as fast as everyone thinks they do. He was in pain, but he didn't say that. He thought it was part of his rehabilitation. I saw him at the hospital in Herental, and they said the pelvic bone is not 100% yet. 'I was hoping to be able to ride my bike again tomorrow [Tuesday], but I can't take any more risks. So I will probably be off the bike for another three weeks. That is until February 8, exactly three months before the start of the Giro."

Evenpoel, who turns 21 on January 25, was bullish last week about his recovery, insisting he has time to find form for the Giro d'Italia. Later in the week, however, he was more introspective in an interview to launch his latest series of casual wear.

He hopes to compete in the time trial and road race at the summer Olympics in Tokyo, but a Tour de France is less likely to be his Plan B and the Vuelta a España is more likely.

"If there is one thing I have learned, it is that injuries like this are very delicate for a cyclist," Evenpoel told Het Laatste Nieuws last week, admitting that he thought the pelvic pain was part of his recovery process and that he had not told his team doctor of his suffering. He admitted that he had not told the team doctor about the pain because he thought it was part of the recovery process.

"Now I have to adjust myself and give it time to heal 100 percent, and if it takes a day longer, so be it. That way it won't make any difference. Of course I'm dreaming of the Giro, and I'm aiming for a May 8 start. That's Plan A, and that's what we're going for. But if it comes soon and it doesn't work out, that would be very disappointing, but I'm only 20 years old. But I'm only 20 and I can ride the Giro a lot more times."

"I was in a hospital bed for eight weeks. If you add the five weeks I didn't cycle, I ended up not moving my body for over three months. That's a lot for a top athlete. I have to give my body the time it needs to be at its best again. In a "worst-case scenario," I switch to Plan B: Olympics, Vuelta, World Championships, and Lombardia. I have many other goals for this season."