Julian Alaphilippe ready to resume training in rollers following shoulder injury

Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team are so far having a very successful Vuelta a Espana, however on the 11th day they've lost Julian Alaphilippe due to an unexpected crash, however the injuries for the Frenchman are less severe than assumed at first.

The team had with initial analysis confirmed that Alaphilippe did not sustain a collarbone fracture as initially thought, but instead suffered from a dislocated shoulder. He travelled back to Belgium for further testing which has seen the same outcome. "The scan has revealed there is no further damage than the dislocation originally diagnosed, meaning that Julian can begin mobilising the shoulder immediately, as well as training on his rollers," the team said in a press release.

"Should the movement and the pain be manageable, he then should be able to start full training in the not-too-distant future," the team concluded. This should be favourable to the Frenchman's hopes of still regaining his best form towards the World championships, which was a major goal to his participation in the Vuelta.

Alaphilippe has had to sustain a very complicated season with illnesses taking out of some of the early season races and the Tour de Wallonie - where he got Covid-19 recently - but injuries have played a bigger role, with the Tour de France being scrapped off the plan as he was recovering and regaining form after a serious crash at Liège-Bastogne-Liège which left him with several fractures.