Remco Evenpoel ran 300km on Sunday, the first of a weekly personal challenge aimed at keeping him motivated during the COVID-19 pandemic and raising funds for medical charities.

The 20-year-old Belgian called for the challenge on social media, where fans also suggested home trainers, attempting Everest somewhere in Belgium, and running the Muur van Geraardsbergen 10 times.

Last week, Geraint Thomas completed three 12-hour rides in his garage, raising over £325,000 for the British National Health Service (NHS).

"In this current situation, we are taking on a crazy challenge to show our support for hospitals and those who care for us and help us," said Evenpoel.

"The hardest part (of closing COVID-19) is that there is no specific goal on the cycling calendar. It's a long time until the cycling season starts, so it's hard to stay focused. It's something to look forward to and gives us a goal."

Evenpole completed the 300 km ride in 9 hours and 40 minutes after carbo-loading with rice, strength training, and large amounts of carrots on Saturday night. He woke up at 6:30 AM and left home at 8:00 AM.

He celebrated and recovered with penne événépoël, a Belgian-style pasta with béchamel sauce and chicken cubes.

"My challenge is over," he said.

"At first it wasn't too bad because there was no wind, but as the ride went on, it got harder with the wind in my face. But in the end it worked out," he told Sporza (opens in new tab).

"We ate a bar every hour along the way. Sometimes I stopped at a bakery for a rice cake or jam. Otherwise, I wouldn't make it after nearly 10 hours on the bike."

Evenpoel revealed that he had some good suggestions for the next challenge, but did not reveal what his next challenge would be.

"People can still send me ideas, but I should be fine in that regard for the next few weeks. I won't divulge what that challenge is yet, but I can only say that the second one is really tough."

This week, Evenpoel, along with several of his Deceuninck-QuickStep teammates, will compete in the "Digital Swiss 5" virtual race on the Rouvy platform.

For five days, starting Wednesday, April 22, 19 leading teams will participate in five races. Organized by Veron, Tour de Suisse, and the indoor platform used by the riders, Rouvy, the race will feature three riders from each team, with teams able to change their lineups each day.