Julian Alaphillipe abandons world championships and Remco Evenepoel loses important teammate

The men’s World Championship road race in Kigali is barely underway, but the day has already been reshaped by early abandonments and crashes. Two-time world champion Julian Alaphilippe, who carried French hopes as a proven puncher for this climbers’ circuit, is out after just two laps. His exit came shockingly soon after he had animated the opening phase, attacking on the early laps before dramatically fading and climbing off the bike before even reaching the finish line of the local circuit.

The Frenchman had come into Rwanda with fresh momentum, thanks to his win in Quebec. That victory renewed talk of whether Alaphilippe might pull off another rainbow performance, but the bid for a third world title ended before it had truly started due to illness. His absence removes both an attacking card and a talisman from a French team built to exploit the punchy climbs around Kigali.

Soon after, disaster struck the peloton on a high-speed downhill stretch with more than 220 kilometres still to race. A crash ripped through the bunch and claimed several big names. Ilan Van Wilder, a key climbing lieutenant for Remco Evenepoel, hit the deck heavily. He tried to remount and ride on, clearly battered, but eventually abandoned a lap later. His loss severely dents Belgium’s tactical structure, as he was expected to be one of the last riders shepherding Evenepoel on the brutal circuit ascents.

Marc Soler was another casualty, the Spaniard forced out immediately after the crash. His withdrawal is a heavy blow to Spain’s ambitions of supporting Juan Ayuso in the mountainous finale. Among those also caught was the young Briton Bjorn Koerdt, part of Great Britain’s eight-man lineup. Koerdt abandoned straight away, ending his debut world championship road race before he had the chance to play a role for Tom Pidcock and Oscar Onley.