Julian Alaphilippe returns to competition at National Championships

Two months and two days after crashing out of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Julian Alaphilippe will return to racing at the National championships and is likely cementing his position in the Tour de France lineup.

The Frenchman crashed into a ditch whilst riding the fourth monument of the season, a terrifying mass-crash that affected several riders but likely he got the worst of it, having fractured his scapula, two ribs and suffered a pneumothorax. Ever since his time in the hosptial in Herentals, he and the team talked of "a race against time" to return in time for the Tour de France, and the signs are good after he concluded a training camp in Sierra Nevada with his teammates.

The course this Sunday in Cholet will see the French peloton ride 241 kilometers in what should be a very challenging return to competition for the World champion. Nevertheless, he goes with Florian Sénéchal and Rémi Cavagna who in their own right also have modest chances of fighting for the national title.