After having crashed due to a team car just over a week ago at Brabantse Pijl, Julian Alaphilippe's luck did not improve as he finished his spring on the roadside of a Belgian road with several broken bones. The World champion crashed at today's Liège-Bastogne-Liège where he was one of the big favourites, and has sustained meaningful injuries that will have him off the bike for undetermined time.
A France Télévisions report has confirmed the injuries that the World champion sustained in a pile-up that took place in the race's final 60 kilometers. With the peloton traveling at high speeds down a narrow road, an apparent touch of wheels took several riders down and many couldn't avoid the crash due to the speeds. Alaphilippe was involved in the crash, having landed in a ditch on the right side of the road. Compatriot Romain Bardet descended down to assist the Frenchman at the time, before being transferred to the hospital.
"Julian Alaphilippe suffered two broken ribs and a broken scapula. The ribs also punctured his lungs causing a hemo pneumothorax," FT said. Alongside Alaphilippe, young talent Ilan van Wilder has also hit the deck sustaining meaningful injuries: "...Ilan has unfortunately suffered a broken jaw in a crash that saw a mass pile-up in the middle of the peloton..."
With Fausto Masnada said to be out of the Giro d'Italia due to mononucleosis, van Wilder will be another heavy absence for the Belgian team as he will seek to recover from the injuries.
"Both will travel by ambulance to Herentals for further examination and treatment," it was reported at the time. The balance is negative for Quick-Step, however they have gotten some compensation for having Remco Evenepoel taking a much needed win in the streets of Liège later on in the afternoon.
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- I see (elsewhere) that Alaphilippe had more to say than what got relayed in this stub. Me: he was very good early but his latter third trajectory was the pits. His old boss did what he could (huffed and puffed) but Julian couldn't get his greatness back. Sometimes I wonder if crashes that didn't look like much changed the course of the rider.flyer14-11-2026
- I wouldn't classify it as a gift because the nasty consequences of taking it from Sepp would have been great and would persist and he knew it.flyer14-11-2026
- Ok. Tratnik's good and Red Bull's better so Tratnik may get what he wants.flyer14-11-2026
- Ok. So just saying he wasn't enjoying racing anymore is some kind of explanation? Me saying I don't enjoy his explanation is more explaining than he did.flyer14-11-2026
- Buitrago, was he their best rider in 2026? He's the chief loss for them and Martinez and Tiberi (especially) have to step up or they will be overtaken by Bahrain's younger riders like Omrzel. I'm still somewhat high on Martinez but Tiberi, after showing signs of promise, has fizzled. Bahrain still has a good team but they need to improve and exceed expectations. I'd be happy if Mohoric could manage to return to his better form for maybe one last year at least.flyer14-11-2026
- Hmmm, "... I just gained 30 seconds purely off the bike. Because it's really a big, big improvement compared to the previous bike". Is that marketing for Specialized or serious valid hype, or something in between? Very likely the former.flyer14-11-2026
- Nothing revelatory or controversial. Why do we have to report on Bruyneel's or Armstrong's thinking. It's a shame and enough that the Move's on TV and that people watch it .flyer14-11-2026
- Makes sense that training from home is a big asset or advantage but it's still remarkable that he can put in three quality majors and not pay some heavy price for the exertion. I wish he would have won that tour stage that his crash while leading allowed Carapaz the win. He's a darn good rider and teammate.flyer14-11-2026
- Sounds like we all agree with the over under exaggeration: "The German’s signing does not guarantee that Evenepoel will win the Tour in 2027. "flyer14-11-2026
- Seixas appears to be that good but if he isn't (an absolute rival to Pogacar) he would have plenty of company in rising stars that did not go on to fully meet the expectations of many. That Pogacar wasn't the greatest (as great) sooner can't be transposed onto another's development. It may be not that simple.flyer14-11-2026
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Sur le ralenti, on aperçoit Romain Bardet qui descend dans la fossé pour venir prendre des nouvelles de Julian Alaphilippe. Grande classe. On espère que tout va bien pour le champion du monde. #LBL
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